India Women Seek Continuity in West Indies Series

The Indian Women's cricket team is poised to maintain their winning momentum as they face off against West Indies Women in the first ODI of a three-match series beginning at the Kotambi Stadium today.

The team's strong batting lineup has been bolstered by the impressive recent form of Smriti Mandhana, who has accumulated an impressive 599 runs at an average of 60 with a strike rate of 98 in ODIs. Individually, Mandhana has three consecutive half-centuries in T20Is, further solidifying her position as a key player. However, the absence of Harmanpreet Kaur due to knee discomfort has resulted in Mandhana taking charge, displaying her resilience as a leader. The batting contingent consists of experienced players Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh, and Tejal Hasabnis.

The bowling unit, led by Deepti Sharma, has shown remarkable consistency, collecting 15 wickets in their last 10 matches. West Indies Women face a formidable challenge as they look to overcome India's strong batting display in their previous encounter, where Team India scored 314 runs despite losing nine wickets. Notably, a half-century by Jemimah Rodrigues and 14 runs from Deepti Sharma proved pivotal in India's batting lineup.

India's recent feats have marked the team's highest total in T20Is, surpassing the previous record. In a standalone T20I match against the West Indies men, the women's team scored 217/4, while achieving the highest in women's T20I history. Smriti Mandhana's batting size today saw her claim the record for most fifty-plus scores within the team, alongside her 29th fifty-plus score, breaking her own record for the fastest conference of half-century with 18 balls. India had defeated West Indies in 3 of 5 ODIs since 2017 and holds a dominant 4-1 advantage. Harmanpreet Kaur also became the first Indian captain to surpass 1000 WODI runs during the match.

With this backdrop, the match against West Indies today promises to be a closely contested one, as the Indian women look to maintain their winning streak and achieve further success.