India’s trio finally give a batting performance befitting their class as they flex batting muscle in India’s statement win.
After losing their way against Australia and England, India’s trio finally produced the complete batting performance that was expected of them.
There are too many dot balls. low frequencies of strikes. The middle order falls apart. a batting lineup that struggles to finish.
Some of the words that had followed India into the pivotal match against New Zealand were those. All of them have been crossed off the list by the end of the evening at Navi Mumbai’s DY Patil Stadium. India not only got off to a strong start on Thursday, but also persevered.
That familiar emotion returned when Smriti Mandhana was out lbw on 77 after missing a sweep. Would this be yet another momentum change and wasted start? Not now. The ball had brushed the bat, according to a review that was nearly reluctant. Mandhana made it out alive.
India had recently witnessed powerful starts falter under duress. Mandhana and Pratika Rawal had put together a 155-run opening partnership against Australia, but after Mandhana was down for 80, the innings stalled. With seven balls remaining in their innings, they were reduced to 330 due to a late collapse.
Mandhana had once again held tall in the face of early wickets against England, but another decline was brought on by her removal as she attempted to increase the stakes. India lost by four runs as three wickets fell in quick succession.
It has frequently been questioned whether Rawal’s strike rate increased the burden on Mandhana and the middle order. On the eve of the match, India’s head coach, Amol Muzumdar, dismissed the worry, stating that the team wanted her to “continue the way she bats” and did not consider it a problem.
Rawal briefly slowed down before regaining her rhythm after matching Mandhana’s tempo on her way to a fifty, most notably when facing the seasoned Lea Tahuhu. Rawal’s clean, straight-batted loft that sent Tahuhu flying down the ground was possibly the most memorable moment of her innings.
Promoted to No. 3, Jemimah Rodrigues scored an undefeated 76 off 55 balls. Given that she had been benched in the previous game and had experienced a slump in recent months, her promotion was a daring move. For 25 consecutive ODIs, Harleen Deol had been a mainstay at number three. However, the manoeuvre was successful.
Rodrigues left with a lot of purpose, timing her drives beautifully, which may have been influenced by the lengthy training session the day before, during which she had primarily trained that stroke. She kept up the fast beat with Rawal. After hitting the milestone, Rawal quickly added two sixes to her own century.
For once, the middle order didn’t need to be put to the test because India’s hitters shown their ability to control a game from beginning to end. Additionally, it demonstrated that this batting lineup has the depth and flexibility to try new things. The victory guaranteed them a place in the semi-finals and gave India the kind of decisive statement they had been longing for.