New Delhi: Smriti Mandhana and Renuka Singh Thakur were the stars of the show as India crushed the West Indies by 211 runs in the first women’s One-Day International at the brand-new Kotambi Stadium in Vadodara on Sunday. This victory marks India’s second-largest win by runs in ODIs, only behind the 249-run triumph over Ireland in 2017.

Mandhana continued her impressive form, scoring her fourth straight half-century as India set a formidable total of 314/9.

After shining in the T20Is with three consecutive fifties and racking up 193 runs in India’s 2-1 series win, Mandhana delivered a stellar performance with a 91 off 102 balls, featuring 13 boundaries. She partnered with debutant Pratika Rawal to put together a solid 110-run opening partnership, but her quest for a century ended when she was caught leg before wicket by left-arm spinner Zaida James while attempting a paddle shot.

Rawal faced some challenges in her ODI debut but ultimately made a mark with a steady 40 off 69 balls, helping to lay the groundwork for India’s massive score.

Harleen Deol (44) and captain Harmanpreet Kaur (34) teamed up for a solid 66 runs, with Harmanpreet making her comeback after missing the last two T20Is due to an injury. Jemimah Rodrigues, who’s been in great form, finished off the innings with a quick 31, while Richa Ghosh contributed 26, helping India ramp up the score towards the end.

Zaida James, just 20 years old, shone with impressive bowling figures of 5/45, but it wasn’t enough to stop India from posting a strong target.

Harmanpreet praised Smriti’s exceptional batting, saying, “The way Smriti is batting is outstanding.” She also highlighted Renuka’s consistent bowling over the years, calling today’s performance special. “We’ve been focusing on our fielding, and the way we played in the last series and today has been great.”

The West Indies had a tough time in the field, with several dropped catches and misfields. They also gave away 25 extras, showing there’s definitely room for improvement for the team.

The Indian bowlers put on a stellar performance, with Thakur leading the charge by taking five wickets for just 29 runs. They wrapped up the West Indies innings for a mere 103 runs in 26.2 overs.

The West Indies batters were under pressure right from the start, stumbling to 26/5 within 11 overs after Qiana Joseph was run out on the very first ball. Captain Hayley Matthews also went out for a duck, and veteran Deandra Dottin managed only 8 runs before heading back. Titas Sadhu made a big impact by bowling Rashada Williams out with a well-placed delivery.

Kaur made an incredible one-handed catch to send Aaliyah Alleyne (13) packing, leaping to snag the ball at mid-on. With half the team already dismissed, Shermaine Campbell stood out, scoring 21 despite taking a painful hit to the chest when the ball ricocheted off her bat.

With the target looking impossible, the rest of the batters struggled to make a mark. Afy Fletcher tried to hold things together, finishing with an unbeaten 24, but it was too late to change the outcome. Shamilia Connell (8) was the last to go.

Thakur, who was named Player of the Match, shared, “We practiced some spot bowling yesterday since it’s crucial for ODIs. We focused on single-wicket deliveries, and I also got some tips from Jhulan Goswami, which really helped me out.”

Last week, India celebrated their first home T20I series victory in over five years. Even though they were swept by Australia in the away ODIs, they entered this series with the momentum of the T20I win and a solid 4-1 record against the Windies in the 50-over format.

Brief scores: India 314/9 (S Mandhana 91, H Deol 44, Z James 5/45, H Matthews 2/61); West Indies 103 in 26.2 overs (A Fletcher 24*, S Campbell 21, R Thakur 5/29, P Mishra 2/22). India won by 211 runs.

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