ICC Women's World Cup 2017: 5 things India did right to beat West Indies
The Indian women’s cricket team scripted yet another regulation win in the World Cup as they overpowered the T20 champions West Indies by seven wickets. This is their second win in a row, which momentarily puts them on the top of the points table.
Mithali Raj’s decision to bowl first turned out to be a shrewd one as Indian bowlers imposed themselves on the team from Caribbean. From 69 for the loss of a wicket, WI were brought down to 91 for six. However, partnerships of 30, 25 and 37 runs for the seventh, eighth and ninth wickets respectively helped them post a near-decent total of 183 on the board.
Though India lost last match’s half-centurion Punam Raut in the first over, Smriti Mandhana and Mithali Raj made sure the Women in Blue cross the line without hiccups. Here we list down five things which helped India scale yet another win in the tourney.
#1 Decision to introduce spin in the powerplay
With West Indies going strong at almost five runs per over, Mithali Raj introduced Ekta Bisht into the attack from the seventh over. While it seemed the skipper was taking a huge risk with only two fielders outside the circle, it turned out to be a calculated move.
On her very first delivery, the left arm orthodox bowler flighted the ball on Felicia Walters’s off stump. The opener failed to connect properly and wicketkeeper Sushma Verma pouched the catch easily.