Daijiworld Media Network- Rajkot

Rajkot, Jan 16: Smriti Mandhana’s record-breaking performance, paired with Pratika Rawal’s maiden century, has set the tone for India’s momentum as they prepare for the 2025 Women’s ODI World Cup at home.

India’s recent back-to-back 3-0 series wins against the West Indies and Ireland have provided the perfect foundation for the team to aim for its "best year in one-dayers," according to Mandhana. With six consecutive ODI wins, the team is eager to maintain their form and capitalize on the home advantage.

Mandhana’s 135-run innings and Rawal’s 154 off 129 balls, which included 20 fours and a six, helped India post their highest-ever ODI total of 435/5. This set up their biggest-ever ODI win by 304 runs against Ireland on Wednesday.

“I wanted to go out and bat with a lot of freedom. I said in the dugout before I went in about that, you know, I'm going to try and play my shots because not many times you get an opportunity to do that,” Mandhana said in a video shared by BCCI.

Rawal, making her first hundred, attributed her accelerated scoring after reaching the century milestone to her natural style of play. “As a batter, I always wanted to score more runs, and doing that for your country is actually a privilege, and I am very happy,” she said.

She added, “After (crossing) 70 (runs), I was a bit conscious that there was a hundred (on the cards). I was taking singles and going slow, but when I got the hundred, I was like, let’s just go for it. The 50 runs after the hundred came a bit quicker. I was able to score the way I score.”

Discussing their 233-run opening stand, Mandhana and Rawal noted the natural flow of their partnership. “It felt like it was happening with the flow; we didn’t think about it,” Mandhana said. “We got to know stats now, actually,” she added.

With such performances, India is setting a strong foundation for a successful campaign in the upcoming World Cup, aiming to secure the nation’s best-ever showing in the tournament.