The Women’s World Cup got underway this morning and along very similar lines to the Men’s World Cup in 2011, hosts India took a big win in their opening game after an opener scored a century.
Thirush Kamini is no Virender Sehwag but her innings, and the partnership with Poonam Raut, helped settle any nerves that the Indian team might have had prior to the game. They were helped by a distinctly poor performance from the West Indies.
They bowled poorly, fielded even worse and it got no better when they batted. Deandra Dottin picked up three wickets and a run out and seemed to spark a little life into their performance, but not enough.
Kamini, despite some running between the wickets that Inzamam-ul-Haq and Nasser Hussain would be proud, set the platform for Jhulan Goswami and Harmanpreet Kaur played a couple of gems of innings, hitting the ball far and high to help them end on 284 for six.
It always looked like enough, particularly as the West Indies had strangely opted to bowl first, which appeared to most onlookers to be a strange decision.
Kycia Knight was run out before a run had been scored and they were quickly in trouble. Dottin then came in and smashed 39 in 16 balls. It was an innings out of place with the rest of the West Indies innings but along with Goswami and Kaur, proved that women’s cricketers are just as capable as anybody of hitting the ball over the ropes.
However, it couldn’t last, and her dismissal sparked some serious celebrations among the home side. They were entirely justified as with Dottin went any remote chance the West Indies had of pinching the game.
Goswami showed her class with the ball yet again by wrapping things up with a couple of late wickets. India have laid down a marker. Sure, they are going to have to play as well, if not better, if they are to really push Australia and England hard, but they will take a huge amount from today’s game.
The West Indies seem flat, almost as if they haven’t acclimatised. Perhaps their series against South Africa didn’t allow them enough time to get used to Indian conditions? They need to improve, and quickly, as their next game against Sri Lanka is the one they have to win to stay in the competition.
Key moment of the day: Deandra Dottin came to the crease with her side at 38 for three. She showed her side exactly what was required, hitting her first ball for four, then hitting four sixes. Sadly, she could neither continue her assault, nor could her team-mates follow her example and India had the game in their pocket from a long way out.