Picture Credit: Twitter
India women's team ended the tour of New Zealand on a high as they finally registered their maiden win in 5th and final match of the series. Having lost the one-off T20I and first 4 ODIs, Mithali Raj led side produced a remarkable all-round show in Queenstown on Thursday.
After restricting the opposition to 251/9 in 50 overs, India's experienced trio of Smriti Mandhana (71 off 84), Harmanpreet Kaur (63 off 66) and Mithali Raj (57* off 66) joined the party as they smashed crucial fifties to guide Women in Blue to a comprehensive 6-wicket win, with 24 balls remaining.
However, there was one moment during the match which caught everyone's attention. After Harmanpreet Kar smashed a huge six off the bowling of Fran Jonas, Smriti Mandhana went towards her batting partner and gave her a hug which was slightly surprising since no individual or team milestone had been reached at that time.
I got excited after watching the huge six: Smriti Mandhana
After the match, the two players talked about the incident and Mandhana revealed the story behind the same. "It (hug) came out quite instinctively. First of all, it was a very long hit. Secondly, it just felt good as I and Harry di (Harmanpreet) were batting together after some time. Hence, I got excited after watching the huge six and hugged her."
Even Harmanpreet Kaur admitted that it was an important moment for her as she was looking for that kind of a shot for some time and it gave her a lot of confidence, which was indeed start of an onslaught as the right-handed batter went on to smash an explosive fifty.
While talking to media, Smriti Mandhana also explained the importance of her and Harmanpreet getting some runs ahead of the World Cup. Notably, the duo notched up a quick-fire 64-run partnership for the 3rd wicket.
"It was really important for the team. It was good to see her (Harman) playing all those shots she was playing. I was just happy to watch that from the other end. For the team going into the World Cup, it was really important that both of us score and get confidence with all other batters," said Mandhana after the match.