Navi Mumbai, Oct 24 (IANS) After smashing her maiden World Cup century against New Zealand at DY Patil Stadium on Thursday, the opening batter Pratika Rawal remained grounded for her well-crafted knock and the milestones she achieved in the game.

Partika and Smriti Mandhana were involved in a 212-run opening partnership, which is the highest for India Women in World Cup history, going past 184 between Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur against West Indies Women in Hamilton in 2022.

During her 122-run knock, Pratika also became the joint-fastest to complete 1000 runs in ODIs, taking only 23 innings and matching Australia’s Lindsay Reeler record.

The foundation set by Pratika and Mandhana not only guided India to a massive total of 340/3 (49 overs) but also handed them a semi-final spot with a 53-run victory via the DLS method.

Partika lauded the team’s encouraging environment for her form and growth in international cricket in a very short span.

“The environment in the dressing room is amazing. The kind of support that I get from my teammates and the coaches is just commendable. I mean, it’s because of them that I’m, able to express myself freely on the ground. So, I’m very happy the way everything is working out for us currently. And I genuinely got to know after I came out that I have reached a milestone. So, I don’t look at milestones. I love to win matches for the team and that’s what I do,” she said in the post-match press conference.

“So, I want to point out that we were playing amazing cricket since we started the tournament. We had different match winners like Deepti di in the first match and Amanjot helped us out. Unfortunately, we lost the three matches but we played brilliantly in those matches as well. So, I think it was due for us and I’m very happy that we all came together and won the match for our country.

“Regarding the strike rate, there are certain templates that I like to play on. So, I’ve had a lot of discussion with the coaches. I’ve had n number of talks with how I can progress with my game. What’s my contribution to the team. So, in that front I think I just try to contribute whatever is best for the team,” she added.

Talking about her partnership with Mandhana, Pratika said they both play their individual games and back each other in the middle.

“The conversations are pretty simple. I mean, she lets me do what I do best. And I don’t interfere in whatever she does best. So, the whole conversation that happens when we are batting is the calculation part. How much to get in order to set up a big total. And when we are chasing, how to break down into how to fewer parts so that we can chase it easier. So, she’s pretty good with calculations, and I like to chip in whatever she has to say to me. And. And I think it’s both ways, so we like to keep it pretty simple,” she said.

In the final round robin game, India will take on Bangladesh in Navi Mumbai on Sunday.

–IANS

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