IND W vs WI W | Pratika Rawal-Smriti Mandhana set unique partnership record against

In their first outing as an opener pair, Pratika Rawal and Smriti Mandhana set a unique record, becoming only the third Indian opening pair to put on a 100-run partnership involving a debutant. It came in the first ODI against West Indies in Vadodara, with the duo putting 110 runs for the first wicket. 

Previously, there had been only two instances of a hundred or more run opening partnership involving an Indian debutant, Reshma Gandhi-Mithali Raj (258*) against Ireland back in 1999 and Sandhya Agarwal-Gargi Bannerjee, who put on a 103-run stand at the top of the order in 1984.

India’s opening woes also came to a temporary halt, with the duo putting on India’s first 100-run opening partnership since 2022, where Shafali Verma and Mandhana scored 174* for the first wicket against Sri Lanka. However, you must go back to 2018 to find the previous instance of an Indian opening pair putting on a 100-run stand at home. 

There, it was Mandhana who combined with Jemimah Rodrigues to put on 101 against Australia in 2018. While Rawal fell for 40 on her debut, the left-handed Indian opener continued her dazzling run with a fifth consecutive half-century in international cricket. 

There’s also a strong chance Mandhana could convert that half-century into a three-figure score.