The pair of Smriti Mandhana and Pratika Rawal created a world record, together they achieved this big feat
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The Indian women’s cricket team has managed to win 11 out of the last 12 ODI matches, in which the opening pair of Smriti Mandhana and Pratika Rawal played the most important role. Team India won the first match of the three-match ODI series being played against England by 4 wickets, in which the pair of Mandhana and Pratika also achieved a big feat. In this match, the Indian team got a target of 269 runs, after which the opening pair of Smriti Mandhana and Pratika Rawal shared a 48-run partnership for the first wicket and with this, both of them created a new world record in women’s cricket.
Highest average while completing 1000 runs as an opening pair in women’s ODI
The opening pair of Smriti Mandhana and Pratika Rawal together have completed 1000 runs in women’s ODI, in which they are only the third opening pair from India who have been able to cross this figure. Before the pair of Mandhana and Raval, Jaya Sharma and Anju Jain who had scored 1229 runs together as an opening pair and apart from this, the opening pair of Jaya Sharma and Karuna Jain who managed to score 1169 runs had achieved this milestone. The pair of Mandhana and Raval have also created a new world record in women’s ODI, in which both of them together have broken the record of Caroline Atkins and Sarah Taylor in completing at least 1000 runs with the highest average as an opening pair.
Opening pair with the highest average of at least 1000 runs
- Smriti Mandhana and Pratika Rawal – Average of 84.6 (India)
- Caroline Atkins and Sarah Taylor – Average of 68.8 (England)
- Rachel Haynes and Alyssa Healy – Average of 63.4 (Australia)
- Tammy Beaumont and Amy Jones – Average of 62.8 (England)
- Belinda Clark and Lisa Keightley – Average of 52.9 (Australia)
Together they achieved this feat in 12 innings
When Shefali Verma was dropped from Team India due to her poor form, then 24-year-old Pratika Rawal got the responsibility of opening with Smriti Mandhana. Pratika has fully capitalized on this opportunity so far, in which she along with Mandhana crossed the 1000 run mark as an opening pair in just 12 innings. Pratika has scored 674 runs in 12 ODIs so far at an average of 51.27, including one century and five half-century innings.
