Correspondent, 24 October: Taking over the captaincy from Harmanpreet Kaur, Sangli's Smriti Mandhana led the Indian women's cricket team to a commanding nine-wicket victory against Zimbabwe in her first One Day International as captain. During the opening match of the three-match series played on Friday, India secured a comfortable win to establish a 1-0 lead. The game marked Mandhana's first time stepping onto the field to lead an ODI side after being appointed captain across all three formats.
Following the comprehensive victory, Mandhana specifically praised the performances of four players: bowlers Shree Charani and Kranti Goud, alongside batters Pratika Rawal and Shafali Verma. Charani delivered her career-best bowling figures by taking four wickets for just 23 runs, while Goud provided excellent support by claiming three wickets. During the run chase, Rawal smashed an unbeaten 100 runs off 96 deliveries, which included 15 boundaries. This marked her third ODI century, and she was solidly backed by an unbeaten 64-run innings from Verma.
Reflecting on the performance, Mandhana stated, "The bowlers have prepared themselves well on different grounds. Shree Charani and Kranti bowled very effectively. However, in fielding, we dropped some easy catches." She also highlighted the importance of communication among the players, noting that the team was returning to the 50-over format after playing strictly 20-over cricket for the past seven months. Additionally, she observed that Rawal and Verma had found a good rhythm at the crease.
Named the 'Player of the Match', Rawal expressed her satisfaction with the knock. "Contributing to the team is always special. My effort was to bat for as long as possible. Today was a brilliant day and today's innings was perfect. As a batter, you always get to learn," she remarked. Meanwhile, Charani revealed that bowling coach Aavishkar Salvi had advised her to focus on spinning the ball and bowling to her strengths. She explained that while this guidance boosted her confidence, her ongoing focus is on delivering consistent performances every day.
On the opposing side, Zimbabwe's captain Nomvelo Sibanda expressed her disappointment over the defeat. "We did not play the way we should have, and we fell short by 100 runs. By not hitting the right line and length while bowling, we missed some opportunities," Sibanda lamented.
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