IND vs WI: Harleen Deol scores maiden century, Pratika Rawal shines as India secures series with dominant victory

The last ODI century by an Indian woman batter, apart from Smriti Mandhana or Harmanpreet Kaur, came in March 2021 from Punam Raut. That drought ended on Tuesday in Vadodara, as Harleen Deol scored her first international century in the second ODI against the West Indies. Her 115, along with half-centuries from Smriti Mandhana, Pratika Rawal, and Jemimah Rodrigues, helped India post 358/5, their joint-highest total in the format. This was enough for a commanding 115-run win, clinching the series with one match remaining.

In reply, West Indies captain Hayley Matthews impressed with her seventh ODI century, but her efforts were overshadowed by a lack of support from the rest of the batting lineup. The West Indies were bowled out for 243 in the 47th over.

Deol’s elegant strokeplay has always been evident in her sporadic international appearances, but her strike rate had been a concern – just 68.88 in ODIs and 84.79 in T20Is before this century. She was fortunate when she was on 19 off 28 balls, as Deandra Dottin dropped a relatively simple catch at square leg. Deol capitalized on the opportunity and made her innings count.

In her 14th ODI innings, Deol turned a slow start into her fastest and most impressive knock to date. Once she settled in, the boundaries started flowing, and she steadily increased her strike rate. She finished with a career-best 115 off 103 balls, including 16 fours, at a strike rate of 111.65 – the first time she had completed an ODI innings at better than a run a ball. Her first 50 runs took 62 balls, but after that, she shifted gears, scoring 65 runs off the next 41 balls.

ICC Champions Trophy 2025 India Schedule: Rohit Sharma and the team will kick off their campaign on February 20. Check out the complete fixture list, including dates and venues.

ICC Champions Trophy 2025, Team India Match Dates, Timings, and Venues: Rohit Sharma’s Team India will begin their ICC Champions Trophy 2025 campaign against Bangladesh in Dubai on February 20. They will then face Pakistan on February 23 and New Zealand on March 2 during the group stage.

The eight-team ODI tournament will be held from February 19 to March 9 across three venues in Pakistan and one venue in Dubai for India’s matches.

This will be the first edition of the Champions Trophy in eight years, following the 2017 tournament hosted by Pakistan, where they defeated India by 180 runs in the final at The Oval. India won the title four years earlier in 2013, defeating England.