Indian Openers Smash Records in Thrilling World Cup Clash

On October 12, 2025, Indian opening batters Smriti Mandhana and Pratika Rawal achieved a historic partnership against Australia in the ongoing Women's World Cup. The duo's stand is now the highest-ever opening partnership recorded against Australia in Women's World Cups, surpassing the previous record of 101 runs set in 1973.

Batting first at the ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam, Mandhana and Rawal started cautiously, scoring 23 runs in the first six overs. However, they soon accelerated their scoring, taking on Australia's top spinners Sophie Molineux and Ashleigh Gardner. By the 15th over, the pair had already surpassed the previous highest opening stand against Australia in Women's World Cups, reaching 73/0.

Mandhana, who recently became the first batter to score 1000 runs in a calendar year in women's ODIs, also achieved another milestone during the innings. She became the fastest batter globally to reach 5000 runs in women's ODIs, achieving the feat in just her 112th innings, surpassing the previous record held by Stafanie Taylor.

The partnership between Mandhana and Rawal has been a consistent highlight for the Indian team in recent times. They have now recorded their fourth century stand of 2025, ranking second globally behind Australia's Belinda Clark and Lisa Keightley (five in 2000) and New Zealand's Suzie Bates and Rachel Priest (four in 2015). For India, only Mithali Raj and Punam Raut have more century stands with seven in 34 innings, while Mandhana and Rawal now have six in just 21 innings together.