Summary: 1st T20I – Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana’s record partnership help India go 1-0 up against West Indies
India openers Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana shared 143 runs with each other as they powered India to 185 runs in the first innings. Verma became the youngest Indian batter to score an international half-century at the age of 15 years and 285 days. India won the match against West Indies by 84 runs to go 1-0 up in the 5-match T20I series.
West Indies Women won the toss and elected to field first. India took full advantage of the opportunity by batting superbly in the first innings. 15-year old Shafali Verma top scored with her 49-ball 73. It was her maiden half-century. She also smashed 6 fours and 4 sixes in the process. Partnering with Mandhana, she took India to 143 runs in 16 overs when she fell to Shakera Selman. She also became the youngest Indian batter, male or female to hit a fifty for her country. The 143-run stand between the openers is the highest for any wicket in T20Is for India Women. The partnership thus surpasses Jemimah Rodrigues and Harmanpreet Kaur’s combined 134 which came against New Zealand in the World T20 exactly one year ago. On the same day this year, the record was broken by their other two compatriots.
🚨Record Alert 🚨
At 15 years 285 days, Shafali became the youngest Indian ever to register an international half-century breaking her idol Sachin Tendulkar’s Record. 💪
The legend Sachin Tendulkar was 16y-214d when he made his maiden Test 50. 🙌
RT and spread the word. pic.twitter.com/KZ4sui6alx
— Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) November 10, 2019
Complementing Verma was Mandhana who played a knock of 67 runs in 46 runs. Captain Harmanpreet Kaur and Veda Krishnamurthy remained not out on 21 and 15 respectively. The combined effort took India’s score to 185 – which is the highest by any team against the Windies Women in this format. Shakera Selman and Anisa Mohammed scalped 2 wickets apiece.
Chasing an above par score, West Indies faltered. They lost both their openers Hayley Matthews and Natasha McLean cheaply within 3 overs. Shemaine Campbelle made 33 runs but an unfortunate run-out saw the end of her innings. Chedean Nation made 10 in as many balls while Kyshona Knight and Stacy-Ann King contributed 12 and 13 runs to the score. Seam bowler Shikha Pandey and the spin duo of Radha Yadav and Poonam Yadav shared 6 wickets among themselves as they troubled the Windies line-up. The hosts could only make 101 runs as they lost 9 wickets to India. India won the match by 84 runs which is their 2nd biggest T20I victory in terms of runs. Shafali Verma was adjudged the Player of the Match for her match-winning knock for India.
Brief Scores:
India Women: 185/4 in 20 overs
West Indies Women: 101/9 in 20 overs
Result: India Women won by 84 runs
Player of the Match: Shafali Verma 73(49)
Series Status: India Women lead the 5-match series 1-0 over West Indies
1st T20:
India: 185/4 (20)
Shafali Verma: 73(49), Smriti Mandhana: 67(46)West Indies 101/9 (20)
Campbelle 33 (34), Matthews 13 (8)Radha Yadav 2-10, Pandey 2-22
India wins by 84 runs, their 2nd biggest T20I win. #INDvWI #INDwvWIw pic.twitter.com/eoGZPGMA0j
— Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) November 10, 2019
Loves all things female cricket