Vadodara: Prolific opener who enjoyed sensational form in both white-ball formats in 2024 Mandana India will end the year when they take on West Indies in the third match of the women’s ODI series at the Kotambi Stadium on Friday, with the hosts having sealed the series 2-0.
The dead rubber came to Mandana’s aid, as she overtook South Africa’s Laura Wolvaardt in the last game to become the highest women’s ODI run-scorer of 2024 while scoring her sixth consecutive fifty-plus points, her total runs tally has reached 643, which she has achieved in the calendar year, and this number is expected to increase to 700.
Since scoring a hundred against Australia at the WACA in Perth on December 11, Mandana’s consecutive scoring runs are: 105, 62, 77, 91 and 53. The Indian vice-captain could have batted longer but opted to sacrifice her wicket for youngster Pritika Rawal, who was approaching her maiden fifty, in There was serious chaos in the second round.
On the eve of the final, the bowling coach of the Indian women’s team Avishka Salvi Talking about bowling to the likes of Mandana and Captain Harmanpreet Kaur An “education” for his team’s bowlers. “When you have modern legends like Smriti Mandhana, Harmanpreet, it always helps. When our bowlers get opportunities in the nets, When they bowl, it’s always a learning experience for the bowlers – what length do we need to bowl, what kind of line do we need to bowl against the attacking players, against the modern legends of the game, so, it’s always about It helps the bowlers because it always gives them feedback on what length is good for them.
Mandhana’s red-hot form aside, India’s dominant performance in the WODI series was heartening – they beat West Indies by 211 runs in the first game and 115 in the second The advantage over the West Indies also lies in the outstanding performance of their pacers. although Renuka Thakur The 20-year-old excelled under the lights as a crafty inswinger, winning the second ODI with figures of 5 for 29 Titas Dervish It also looks dangerous.
While calling Renuka the “pioneer” of India’s bowling attack, Salvi admitted that the team has started preparations for the 2025 Women’s ODI World Cup.
“Renuka has spearheaded India’s bowling attack many times and has had some youngsters who have done well. They have gelled really well. In eight months we have the (WODI) World Cup coming up, so obviously, it’s on our minds , our preparations are also in this direction,” Salvi said.
India’s bowlers have bounced back well after taking a heavy hit in the previous WODI Australia series, beating West Indies for 103 runs in 26.3 overs and 243 runs in 46.2 overs. They conceded 371 runs for 8 in the second game in Brisbane and 298 runs in the 2017 Test in Australia. Salvi said his bowlers “followed the same process in both series” but “made mistakes while executing it in Australia”.
“So, every series we go into, we have a plan. We have a process that we follow. We follow the same process (in Australia). But somehow something goes wrong in the execution. So, it’s The only thing,” he said.
With Thakur, Sadhu and Saima Thakur, India seems to have a decent pace trio at the moment.
“We have a process-driven approach. Wherever we go, whatever conditions we’re going to encounter, we practice based on the conditions. We practice according to the team’s plan and then we take the plan they put forward with our bowlers. It’s important that the two plans come together and that’s all we’re talking about,” Salvi explained, before praising his bowlers who “really work well together”.
“We had conversations about fielding and how they would operate. So, taking all that into consideration, we came up with our plan. It’s a young bowling attack, honestly, and they gelled really well and you can look at them The combination used on the pitch,” he said.
Salvi claimed that the team’s morale had not dropped after being swept 3-0 by Australia in the WODI series earlier this month. “The atmosphere in training camp is always good, and since we are a process-oriented team, some defeats or some wins don’t get into our minds. We just try to focus on the next challenge that’s been instilled in us, And prepare accordingly, that’s how we operate,” he said.
The last game will be a day game, scheduled to start at 9.30am. The bowling coach insists his side will adjust quickly after two day/night games at the same venue.
“People have played day games in the past. Also, we had the opportunity to practice this morning. And, in previous practices, not here, but earlier, we had the opportunity to practice during the day. So, the girls are very familiar. This is the case,” he said.
