Really pleased with the way she's batting – Smriti Mandhana on Pratika Rawal
It was a dominant display from the Indian women as they romped over Ireland emphatically in the last ODI of the series, at the end of which all the talk was around Pratika Rawal. The opener has been undoubtedly one of India's stand-out performers after her debut against West Indies, and so far, from six WODIs, Rawal has hammered 444 runs at an average of 74.
On Wednesday, in the final WODI against Ireland, Pratika Rawal hammered her very best, smashing 154 runs off just 129 balls. Banking upon her and Smriti Mandhana’s brilliance, India posted a staggering 435 on the board. Talking in the post-match presser, Smriti Mandhana highlighted the bedazzling brilliance of Pratika Rawal while shedding some light on the tactical solidity of her opening partner.
Mandhana said, “Yeah, really pleased with the way she's batting. I feel [she] has a really calm head on her shoulders, knows what she's doing, has I think both sort of games, where she can accelerate as well as play the defensive role, which is great as a batter to have.”
She further added, “To see her rise from the first one-dayer against West Indies [last month] to now is really nice, and good runner between the wickets as well, converts the ones into twos, which always helps in one-day cricket. So really happy for her, and I hope she keeps continuing her form, because it's a big year for us [India are due to host the ODI World Cup in August-September]."
