Smriti Mandhana lauds Pratika Rawal, Shafali Verma after Zimbabwe mauling
What's the story
India captain Smriti Mandhana has praised the batting prowess of Pratika Rawal and Shafali Verma after their stellar performances in the first ODI against Zimbabwe. The duo's partnership, which led India to a nine-wicket victory at the BCA Stadium in Vadodara, was hailed as a "masterclass" by Mandhana. Rawal scored an unbeaten century while Verma contributed with a quick-fire half-century, helping India chase down Zimbabwe's target of 198 runs in just over 27 overs.
Words
A 'masterclass' chase
Mandhana highlighted the duo's approach during the chase as a key highlight of India's dominant performance.
"Yes, we can tidy up our fielding; a few catches went down our way, but otherwise, again Shafali and Pratika went about that chase, and it was a masterclass," said Mandhana after India's win.
Rawal scored an unbeaten 100 off 96 balls while Verma remained not out on 64 off just 34 deliveries.
Bowling performance
Bowlers shine as Zimbabwe post 197
Before the batting heroics, India's bowlers had done a commendable job of bowling Zimbabwe out for 197 runs in 49.5 overs.
Spinner Shree Charani was the pick of the bowlers with figures of four wickets for just 23 runs.
Kranti Gaud took three wickets while vice-captain Deepti Sharma and Verma chipped in with two and one wickets respectively.
Improvement areas
Fielding could have been better, says Mandhana
Despite the comprehensive win, Mandhana admitted that her side could have been more aggressive in the field during some phases of Zimbabwe's innings.
She said, "Well, we are playing 50 overs after a very long time. We have played T20 cricket for almost the last seven months, so definitely in the period between 20 and 35, I would say, we could have had more intensity on the field."
Strategy
Importance of communication for bowlers
Mandhana stressed on the importance of communication for a consistent bowling attack, especially with players switching between T20 and ODI formats.
She credited the support staff, particularly bowling coach Aavishkar Salvi, for helping bowlers understand their roles and keeping plans clear.
"Good communication, knowing about, again, support staff Aavishkar (Salvi) sir," she said.
Upcoming match
Mandhana on the 2nd WODI
Looking ahead to the second Women's ODI, Mandhana said the team would welcome some time to relax after returning to the longer format while also using the opportunity to build stronger connections among players.
"Hopefully a relaxed, chill day would be good because we have all played one-day cricket after a very long time," she said.
India will look to build on their opening-match performance when they meet Zimbabwe in the second ODI of this series.