West Indies Skipper Calls for Improvement After India Dominates in the First ODI with Stellar Performances from Smriti Mandhana and Renuka Singh
Vadodara (Gujarat), December 23: West Indies skipper Hayley Matthews acknowledged her team’s shortcomings after a humbling 211-run defeat against India Women in the first ODI of the series at Kotambi Stadium, Vadodara, on Sunday.
The comprehensive victory, powered by Smriti Mandhana’s blistering 91-run knock and Renuka Thakur Singh’s brilliant five-wicket haul, gave India Women an early 1-0 lead in the series.
ALSO READ: India Women Crush West Indies by 211 Runs in Historic ODI Triumph
Hayley Matthews Acknowledges Team’s Shortcomings
Speaking during the post-match presentation, Matthews admitted that her team fell short in all key areas of the game — batting, bowling, and fielding.
“We probably were not quite on the mark today – all three facets of the game really. Not the brand of cricket we want to play, and we have to improve moving forward. Just getting back to the training part and being hungrier in things that we do. We were not consistent with the ball and in the field. You are going to have bad days but we need to try to avoid that as much as possible and not make it a habit,” Matthews told ESPNcricinfo.
She added that at one stage, they believed they could restrict India to 270-280 runs, but inconsistency in their bowling allowed India to push past 300 runs.
India Dominates with Bat and Ball
Winning the toss and opting to bowl first, West Indies faced an onslaught from India’s top and middle-order batters.
- Smriti Mandhana (91 off 102 balls, 13 fours) and Pratika Rawal (40 off 69 balls, 4 fours) built a solid 110-run opening partnership.
- Contributions from Richa Ghosh (26 off 13 balls, 4 fours, 1 six), Jemimah Rodrigues (31 off 19 balls, 3 fours, 1 six), and Deepti Sharma (14 off 12 balls)* pushed India to an imposing 314/9.
In the chase, West Indies’ batting faltered as the Indian bowling attack, led by Renuka Singh (5/34), dismantled their lineup.
- Priya Mishra (2 wickets), Titas Sadhu (1 wicket), and Deepti Sharma (1 wicket) played supporting roles in bundling out West Indies for just 103 runs in 27 overs.
- Afy Fletcher (24 off 22 balls)* and Shemaine Campbelle (21 off 39 balls) were the only notable contributors in a disappointing batting display.
Player of the Match:
- Renuka Thakur Singh deservedly won the ‘Player of the Match’ award for her sensational five-wicket haul.
With two ODIs remaining in the series, Hayley Matthews and her team will need to regroup and strategize effectively to bounce back against an in-form Indian side.
