India women’s cricket team celebrate after beating West Indies in the first ODI. (Image: X/BCCI Women)

Smriti Mandhana’s aggressive knock and Renuka Thakur Singh‘s five-wicket haul powered India women’s cricket team to a commanding 211-run victory over West Indies in the first ODI of the series at the Kotambi Stadium in Vadodara on Sunday.
Having secured a 2-1 win in the preceding T20I series, India Women extended their dominance in white-ball cricket.
West Indies, led by Hayley Matthews, won the toss and opted to field. However, Harmanpreet Kaur‘s team set a daunting target for the visitors in the first innings.

Openers Smriti Mandhana (91 off 102 balls, 13 fours) and Pratika Rawal (40 off 69 balls, four fours) put together a solid 110-run partnership, laying a strong foundation for the hosts.
Skipper Matthews eventually broke the opening stand in the 24th over, dismissing Pratika Rawal, but the damage had already been done.
Harleen Deol (44 off 50 balls, 2 fours and 1 six) then joined Mandhana at the crease, building a 50-run partnership.
Zaida James dismissed Mandhana in the 32nd over, briefly stemming the flow of runs. However, Harleen and Harmanpreet Kaur (34 off 23 balls, 3 fours and 1 six) added a 66-run stand, further solidifying India’s innings.

Though Windies managed to remove Harleen and Harmanpreet, India’s middle order stepped up with confidence. Richa Ghosh (26 off 13 balls, 4 fours and 1 six), Jemimah Rodrigues (31 off 19 balls, 3 fours and 1 six), and Deepti Sharma (14* off 12 balls, 1 four) propelled India to a formidable 314/9.
Zaida James led the West Indies’ bowling effort, taking five wickets for 45 runs at an economy rate of 5.60. Matthews chipped in with two wickets in her 10 overs.
Chasing 315, West Indies struggled to establish a partnership against the disciplined Indian bowling attack. Renuka Thakur Singh was the star with the ball, claiming five wickets and dismantling the Caribbean batting lineup. Priya Mishra picked up two wickets, while Titas Sadhu and Deepti Sharma each grabbed one.

The Indian bowlers skittled out West Indies for just 103 in 27 overs, sealing a comprehensive 211-run victory.
The margin of victory is India’s second-biggest in women’s ODIs. The biggest win came against Ireland in 2017 when India triumphed by a massive 249 runs. Meanwhile, this was West Indies’ biggest defeat in the format, beating their 208-run loss to England in 2019.

India’s biggest wins in women’s ODIs