Image Credit:
"2017 Women's Cricket World Cup IMG 2745 (36141654785)" by Ben Sutherland is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
Source: Wikimedia Commons

 Nottingham – India’s opening duo rewrote history in style during the first T20I against England at Trent Bridge. Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma combined for a breathtaking 77-run stand, marking it their 21st fifty-plus opening partnership—a new world record in women’s T20 internationals, surpassing Australia’s Alyssa Healy and Beth Mooney, who had 20 such stands.

Batting first after England captain Nat Sciver-Brunt opted to field, Mandhana and Verma set the tone immediately. Mandhana drove beautifully to the boundary in the second over, while Verma, returning after eight months out of the T20 side, pulled a boundary early in her innings. Despite being given out caught behind, Verma confidently overturned the decision via a DRS review, underlining her focus and form.

Mandhana then unleashed a flurry of big shots off Sophie Ecclestone—first a towering six, then a boundary, and then another six—smashing a staggering 19-run over, Ecclestone’s most expensive in the match. The partnership milestone was reached in just 37 deliveries, underlining the duo’s dominance.

Mandhana reached her own half-century swiftly (27 balls) with a sharp cut past point, marking her 31st T20I fifty. Meanwhile, Verma fell for 20 off 22 balls, caught at mid-off by Ecclestone.

By the end of their record-breaking stand, the duo had also surpassed 2,700 runs in partnership, sitting second on the all-time women’s T20I opening partnership list—second only to Healy and Mooney—before today’s feat.

With the solid foundation laid, India went on to post a formidable total on the board, posing a stiff challenge to the England Women. The commanding opening display not only gave India momentum in this series but also sent a strong signal to opponents about their batting firepower.

India-W finished their innings at 210/5 while England-W are 78/5 at the end of 10th over. "Chase is on, guys!" — that was the reaction at the end of the powerplay. But looking at the scoreboard now, that optimism seems misplaced.