Twitter Reactions: Smriti Mandhana, Harmanpreet Kaur punish West Indies in one-sided win
Mandhana was named the player of the match for her 20th T20I half-century, the third most in the format.
Team India annihilated the West Indies by 56 runs to register their second win of the ongoing Womens T20I Tri-Series at the Buffalo Park on Monday, January 23. The win was set up by the returning Indian skipper Harmanpreet Kaur and her deputy Smriti Mandhana, as they forged an unbeaten 115-run stand in the first innings, taking their side to a challenging 167/2.
The Windies needed a Herculean effort to chase the target on a surface that wasn't the easiest to bat on. Their chase derailed before it even started as Britney Cooper was dismissed for a golden duck in the second over by Deepti Sharma. Her opening partner Rashada Williams was also dismissed cheaply to conclude an abysmal powerplay for the Women in Maroon.
Shabika Gajnabi followed suit just after the powerplay as the Indian bowlers were all over their opponents. Shemaine Campbelle and the Windies skipper Hayley Matthews showed glimpses of a comeback, but in vain as the Indian bowlers never let them score freely. Campbelle fell three short of a fighting half-century, and despite Matthews' best efforts, the Windies could only manage 111 runs on the board, handing a comfortable victory to India.
Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur turned on the heat with an explosive stand
The returning Indian skipper Harmanpreet Kaur won the toss and decided to bat first on a two-paced surface in East London. Young Indian opener Yastika Bhatia could not capitalize on her start and fell in the last over of the powerplay. Harleen Deol also departed cheaply, bringing the hard-hitting Harmanpreet Kaur to the crease in her comeback game.
Kaur, along with Smriti Mandhana, steadied the ship after the fall of those two quick wickets. Although the Windies bowlers kept a lid on run-scoring opportunities, India managed an upper hand in the contest by not losing any further wickets. The experienced India pair took the attack to the bowlers after the 14th over mark, in pursuit of a challenging total.
Both batters went into overdrive in the death overs, smashing 18 runs off the 18th over of the match. Mandhana reached yet another eye-catching half-century, remaining unbeaten of 74 off 51 deliveries, while her skipper dazzled the way through a 35-ball 56, helping India to a challenging total of 167 for the opponents to chase.
Here is how Twitter reacted to India's domination of the Windies:
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