Vadodara, Oct 23 (IANS) India captain Smriti Mandhana praised Pratika Rawal and Shafali Verma for their commanding batting performances, describing their match-winning partnership as a “masterclass” after the World Champions registered a nine-wicket victory over Zimbabwe in the first ODI of the three-match series at the BCA Stadium in Kotambi, Vadodara, on Friday.

Rawal struck an unbeaten 100 off 96 balls, while Shafali remained not out on 64 off just 34 deliveries as India chased down Zimbabwe’s target of 198 in 27.1 overs to take a 1-0 lead in the series.

Praising the duo’s approach during the chase, Mandhana said their performance was a standout feature of India’s dominant outing. “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,” Mandhana said after the match.

Rawal anchored the chase with an assured unbeaten century, striking 15 boundaries, while Shafali provided the aggression with five fours and four sixes. The pair ensured India maintained control after Mandhana’s dismissal for 32 off 34 balls, reaching the target with nine wickets in hand.

Earlier, India’s bowlers restricted Zimbabwe to 197 in 49.5 overs, with spinner Shree Charani leading the attack with figures of four for 23. Kranti Gaud picked up three wickets, while vice-captain Deepti Sharma claimed two and Shafali took one.

Mandhana lauded the bowling unit for adapting well to a different venue, singling out Charani and also praising the discipline shown by the pace bowlers. “Coming into a different ground, I think the bowlers adapted really well, especially Shree Charani, I think the standout bowler for us. Also the pacers, the way they bowled, Kranthi to mention, out of all the bowlers, they were pretty disciplined,” she said.

Despite the comprehensive win, the India captain acknowledged that her side could have maintained greater intensity in the field during certain phases of Zimbabwe’s innings.

India have largely played T20 cricket over the past seven months, and Mandhana said the transition back to the 50-over format required some adjustment. “Well, we are playing fifty 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. That is something which we will take back from a game and work on,” she said.

Mandhana also highlighted communication as a key factor in maintaining consistency in the bowling attack, particularly with players moving between the T20 and ODI sides.

She credited the support staff, especially bowling coach Aavishkar Salvi, for helping the bowlers understand their roles and keeping the plans clear.

“Again, it’s communication. You need to be absolutely clear with them. When they came in as well, we had a lot of communication, especially again the T20 side from the one-day side; we had two days,” she said.

“Good communication, knowing about, again, support staff, Aavishkar (Salvi) sir, not to mention, he’s always with the bowlers, coordinates with them, then gets back to me with the plans. So he’s really on it and makes my job easy,” she added.

Looking ahead to the second 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, including those who have recently joined the squad.

“Hopefully a relaxed, chill day would be good because we have all played one-day cricket after a very long time. So yeah, we will hang out with each other, trying to get to know more about the players, because we have a lot of new players coming in and a lot of energy, especially Jintimani. I mean, she’s just a ball of energy around the team,” she said.

India will look to build on their opening-match performance when the two sides meet in the second ODI of the series.

--IANS

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