Women’s World Cup: Pratika Rawal and Smriti Mandhana propel India into semi-finals for centuries; defeat New Zealand in must-win clash | Cricket News

Navi Mumbai: Providing a clinical brand of cricket when it mattered most, India outscored New Zealand by 53 runs (via DLS method) to qualify for the semi-finals of the 2025 Women’s World Cup as the fourth team at the DY Patil Stadium on Thursday evening. The prolific opening pair of Smriti Mandhana (109 off 95 balls) and Pratika Rawal (122 off 134 balls) slammed scintillating hundreds, while returning to the XI, Jemimah Rodrigues continued her valor by smashing a run-filled 76 not out (off 55 balls) as India posted 340 for three in 49 overs, feasting on a weak New Zealand attack.Thanks to unseasonable rain, there was a 90-minute break and New Zealand, who erred in deciding to field first in hot and humid conditions, found themselves making 325 in 44 overs. Cracking under the pressure of a huge chase, the White Ferns finished at 271 for eight, with only Brooke Halliday (81 off 84 balls) and Isabella Gaze not out (65 off 51 balls) offering fight. To round off a fine outing for her, Mandhana took a brilliant catch at mid-wicket to dismiss Amelia Kerr (45).Tournament hosts India will now take part in the second semi-final at the DY Patil Stadium at the same venue on October 30. Their final league match against Bangladesh on Sunday is now of academic interest. New Zealand, the reigning Women’s T20 World Cup champions, had to rue their two missed matches in Sri Lanka and their poor show in the crucial match here. The record crowd of 25,166 – the highest at this World Cup – at this venue was driven by spectacular batting fireworks from India’s top three, as the Women in Blue, with qualification on the line, blasted their way to the highest score of this World Cup on a batting paradise. Mandhana and Pratika shattered several records while sharing an epic opening partnership of 212 off 202 balls – their second double century partnership and their seventh century in 23 WODIs. This is now the highest ever opening partnership for India in women’s ODIs, and the highest stand for any wicket for India in women’s ODI World Cups, topping 184 between Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur against West Indies Women in Hamilton in 2022. The batters had, earlier in the tournament, added 155 against Australia in Visakhapatnam.Mandhana and Rawal added a staggering 1557 runs as a duo in WODIs in 2025, a number surpassed only by the Sachin Tendulkar-Sourav Ganguly pair – 1635 in 1998 – for the highest partnership total in a calendar year in ODIs – men’s or women’s. Mandhana and Rawal’s partnership was only ‘launched’ in December last year, when Rawal made his WODI debut against West Indies in Vadodara. However, the numbers they have already achieved are frightening, with many more still to come. This was the fourth 150-plus partnership between Smriti Mandhana and Rawal in the WODIs, the most common of any pairing, alongside Belinda Clark-Lisa Keightley and Suzie Bates-Amy Satterthwaite. When Pritika smashed New Zealand captain Sophie Devine for a four at midwicket, the 25-year-old Delhi batter became the fastest to reach 1,000 WODI points in women’s ODIs, taking just 23 innings to reach the landmark, underlining what has been a sensational start to her international career so far. Backed by Indian head coach Amol Muzumdar despite criticism over her strike rate (82.82), the young batter recorded her second WODI century and first WODI World Cup hundred. Driving, cutting, pulling and throwing the ball with aplomb, Pritika showed that she can unleash big hits too by smashing two sixes after reaching her century. Rawal and Rodrigues, who hit a 39-ball fifty after being left out of the previous match to accommodate a sixth bowler, added 76 in just 58 balls for the second wicket as the White Ferns were sent chasing leather by the Women in Blue on a bed of feathers. Taking a liking to Eden Carson, Rodrigues hit her for three fours in the 46th over.Mandhana reached his 14th WODI century off 88 balls with a single, hammering 10 fours and three sixes, presenting another batting masterclass. Now, only former Australian captain Meg Lanning (15) has scored more WODI centuries than her. It was the dashing southpaw’s fifth WODI century this year, only Brits (2025) has scored as many centuries in a calendar year.

With the excellent form she is in, it is no surprise that Mandhana is the highest run-scorer this calendar year, having accumulated 1,259 runs so far in 2025. She is also the highest run-scorer in the World Cup (331 runs) with two half-centuries and a hundred. After a slow start to the tournament, Mandhana, who posted scores of 80, 88 and 109 in her last three matches, came into her own at the perfect time for India.Starting cautiously – the duo added just 40 in the first 10 overs – Mandhana and Rawal picked up the pace thereafter, with Mandhana cutting, driving and pulling with ease, she dominated the insipid New Zealand bowlers. Two of her four sixes came off Amelia Kerr leg.