Skipper Harmanpreet lauds 'outstanding' Mandhana, Renuka after win in 1st ODI

Vadodara, Dec 22 (IANS) India captain Harmanpreet Kaur heaped praise on her teammates Smriti Mandhana and Renuka Singh for delivering match-winning performances in the massive 211-run win against West Indies in the first ODI on Sunday.

Put in to bat first, Mandhana struck 91 studded with 13 fours backed by debutant partner Pratika Rawal's 40 and Harleen Deol's 44 to guide the side to 314/9 in 50 overs.

Meanwhile, Mandhana also became the first Indian women's player to complete 1600 runs in a calendar year.

Lauding the opener, Harmanpreet said Mandhana's sublime form is making things look easy in the middle.

"The way Smriti is batting, that's something outstanding. It's looking really easy but trust me it is not," the Indian captain said after the win.

In the defense of the target, senior pacer Renuka Thakur led the charge and returned with the figures of 5-29 in her 10 overs to claim the Player of the Match accolade.

"Renuka's bowling has been amazing for so many years and today was special. We've been speaking about fielding as well, the way we've done in the last series and today has been great," Harmanpreet said of fast bowler.

On playing at the newly-built Kotambi Stadium, which hosted its first international match on Sunday, the Indian captain thanked the BCCI for the infrastructure boost.

"Facilities in India are great, we love playing in home conditions. Beautiful ground, beautiful conditions, we're grateful to the BCCI for their support," she said.

On returning after recovering from knee niggle that ruled her out of the last two T20Is against West Indies, Harmanpreet expressed gratitude to physio for her recovery.

"I should give credit to our physio team, they've been working really hard. I've been struggling with the knee for 3-4 months, big thanks to them for getting me fit. Credit goes to our fielding coach as well. Happy with how things are going."

The second, of the three game ODI series, will be played at the same venue on Tuesday.

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