India begin women's World Cup in style

Fine all-round performance give Mithali's girls a 105-run win in excess of West Indies.

MUMBAI — India may not be one of the top contender, but they began the 2013 ICC Women’s World Cup on an imposing not by defeat the West Indies at the Brabourne Stadium.

Indian openers Thirush Kamini and Poonam Raut capitalised on Merissa Aguilleira’s strange choice to bowl in great circumstances for batting in the first game of the tournament. India back that up with spirited fielding and some miserly bowling to seal a 105-run win.

Kamini scored 100 off 142 balls, flattering the first Indian woman to score a World Cup hundred while Raut was the attacker with a nicely-paced 72 off 94 balls.

Their opening partnership of 175 provide the launching pad for big-hitters Jhulan Goswami and Harmanpreet Kaur, who blitz 36 quick runs each to boost India to a match-winning score of 284-6.

While Kamini anchor the innings, Goswami, the previous India captain, was promoted up the arrange to quicken up the score.

The six-footer from Bengal swing six fours in 21 balls, while Harmanpreet kept the accelerator pressed by drumming four fours and two sixes.

The boundary ropes at the Brabourne Stadium have been bring in to about 60-odd metres on each side. But this didn’t seem to substance since the hits cleared the ropes contentedly. India were also aided by a number of sloppy West Indian field. 

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West Indies never got leaving, losing wickets regularly. They lost Kycia Knight second ball when she tried to take a single and Harman prêt threw down the stumps straight at the bowler’s end.

While Nagarajan Niranjana ended by means of three wickets, Goswami and seamer Amita Sharma were imposing with the new ball, bowling straight lines and getting some swing as well. With their joint spell, India seized the plan and kept West Indies on the mat.

A couple of umpiring decision went West Indies’ way when Shaun George and Mark Hawthorne didn’t uphold India’s appeal for what seemed like a simple caught-behind and an LBW.

The entertainment of the innings was provide by Deandra Dottin, who scored 39 off 16 balls. The fearsome hitter from Barbados hold the record for the fastest women’s hundred – a 38-baller against South Africa in 2010 in a T20.

She’d already bowled well to take 3-32 have come on to bowl in the 43rd over. Then she started hitting out next to the Indian bowlers operating with an attacking field.

Niranjana was hit for two fours off the primary balls Dottin faced. Next over, Dottin hit left-arm spinner Gouher Sultana for two sixes down the ground.

Niranjana took some more sentence – six, four and six – before she trapped Dottin plumb LBW to finish the competition.

Tougher challenges lay in front for Mithali Raj's side when they get on England after that on Sunday.