India Women’s cricket team continued their dominant run in T20I cricket, extending their unbeaten streak against the West Indies to nine consecutive victories with a commanding 49-run win in the series opener on Sunday. Batting first, India set a formidable target of 196, finishing with a total of 195/4, their highest-ever total against the West Indies and their third-highest overall in T20Is.
The foundation of India’s total was built on brilliant knocks from Jemimah Rodrigues and Smriti Mandhana. Rodrigues, coming in at No. 3, played a stunning knock of 73 off 35 balls, hitting nine fours and two sixes. She was in fine form, especially targeting the leg side and piercing the gaps with ease. Rodrigues even launched the ball over deep square leg for a six to bring up her 12th T20I fifty. Mandhana, in excellent form after her 105 in the final ODI of India’s tour to Australia, contributed a steady 54 off 38 balls. Her knock included seven fours and two sixes, and it took her run tally for the year past 600 runs. Mandhana’s innings also moved her to the fourth spot in the list of highest run-scorers in women’s T20Is in 2024. Together, Rodrigues and Mandhana added 81 runs for the second wicket off just 44 balls, providing India with the early momentum.
Following their dismissals, Richa Ghosh (20 off 14 balls) continued to push the score forward, adding quick runs before being dismissed by a brilliant catch from Deandra Dottin. India’s opening pair, Uma Chetry (24) and Mandhana, laid the groundwork with a 50-run partnership in the first seven overs, giving India a solid start. Karishma Ramharack was the pick of the West Indies bowlers, returning figures of 4-0-18-2.
In their chase, the West Indies found themselves in trouble early, losing their captain Hayley Matthews for just 1 in the second over, courtesy of a spectacular catch by substitute fielder Minnu Mani. Qiana Joseph, however, fought back with a blistering 49 off 33 balls, hitting five fours and three sixes, while Deandra Dottin played a valiant knock of 52 off 28 balls, her first T20I fifty since her return to the format earlier in the year. However, the West Indies struggled to build partnerships, and despite a few lifelines for Dottin, the required run rate kept climbing.
Joseph and Dottin did put up some resistance, with Joseph falling just short of her fifty, dismissed by Titas Sadhu (3/37). Dottin also fell to Sadhu as the pressure from India’s spinners, Deepti Sharma (2/21) and Radha Yadav (2/21), increased. Ultimately, the West Indies could only manage 146/7, handing India a comfortable win to start the series. This victory solidified India’s dominance in the T20I format against the West Indies and kept their unbeaten streak intact.