Visakhapatnam: There was no change to India’s playing XI against Australia despite their loss to South Africa – no tactical shuffling, no panic. While selection tactics need a rethink still, India’s top-order clicking against Australia on Sunday was a reminder of why India were confident of their batting in the build-up to the Women’s ODI WorldCup.
Yet, despite India’stop-order providing them a head start and laying down a 155-run opening partnership off 147 balls – a foundation for what could have been a winning total – the rest of the line-up was not able to capitalise. Unlike the last three matches, the openers, vastly different in experience and batting styles, were completely in sync with each other.
In the lead up to this World Cup, Smriti Mandhana (80 off 66b) and Pratika Rawal (75 off 96b) had stitched together a series of record-breaking opening stands. In just 21 ODI innings they have batted together, they have scored 1,520 runs together, and have now stitched together 15 fifty-plus opening stands.
The management’s decision to persist with Pratika, despite her dot-ball issue, is deliberate. It was clear that they value her steadiness over explosiveness, her ability to be a constant presence instead of being a quick match-winner. And in Vizag, she justified that backing.
It wasn’t a Powerplay blitz but one rooted in balance. In the process, India brought up the fastest fifty of the tournament and the second highest Powerplay total overall. It was almost symbolic as Smriti seemed to be rediscovering her old rhythm and Pratika translating her starts into something substantial. Smriti had looked the best she had in the entire tournament. More relaxed, more herself.
A smooth cover drive off Kim Garth set the tone, but it was against Sophie Molineux that her intent crystallised. The build-up to this match had been dominated by chatter around Australia’s left-arm spinners, but Smriti dismissed that narrative in one overwith a lofted drive over mid-on, a six down the ground, a pull over square leg.
And just like that, one threat was neutralised. At the other end, Pratika was absorbing pressure. In this tournament, she had made it a habit of getting starts but not carrying on. On Sunday, she was determined to break that pattern. Smriti’s duel with Ash Gardner, a mismatch before this outing – five dismissals in 11 innings – turned into an even contest partly thanks to Pratika.
The 25-year-old weathered the Gardner threat early, and then, once set, flipped the script — a four and six in Gardner’s second over forced skipper Alyssa Healy to rethink her plans. And just like that, the duo had disrupted Australia’s match-ups: Molineux muted, Gardner unsettled.
The partnership also reminded one of an interesting contrast — the experienced Smriti, playing in her third World Cup, alongside Pratika, the new kid on the block who made her international debut less than a year ago. Despite the difference, there is some kind of symbiosis between the tempo-setter and the enabler.
For India’s think-tank, this pairing represents something bigger. When Pratika was chosen ahead of Shafali Verma for this World Cup, it wasn’t just about technical match-ups. It was about reliability and consistency, the sense that Pratika could be the anchor around whom Smriti could bat freely.
In a year where Smriti has scaled new heights – she became the only female cricketer to score 1,000 ODI runs in a calendar year, and the youngest and fastest to aggregate 5,000 – it’s perhaps fitting that much of that freedom has come from having the right partner at the other end.
Pratika’s growth also mirrors that of a player who knows her game and is willing to fix what’s wrong. There are still patches of hesitation, the dot ball phase when she gets stuck in the 30s, but she has begun to find ways through them. Against Tahlia McGrath, after getting stuck for a few overs, she fought back with intent, punishing the slightest error.
As Pratika did her thing on the other end, Smriti looked in control of the tempo, not just of her batting but of the innings itself. Even against Gardner, Smriti bettered her record – attacking her with a flick, a late cut, and a glide past point. Her dismissal, to a tired slog sweep off Molineux for 80, slightly dimmed the glow of what had unfolded, but by then the two had built India’s highest opening stand against Australia in World Cups.
Despite the result – Australia won by three wickets – there’s an important takeaway. There are plenty of problems for India that need immediate fixing, especially if they are to push for the semi-finals. However, their top-order pairing seems to have settled down, promising a potentially long-lasting solution for India.
