There was a bit of movement in the air, a bit of movement off the seam. But Myrthe van den Raad, featuring in her maiden World Cup game, got off to a forgetful start. The third of her six wides, in the most anti-dramatic fashion, helped the Indian opening pair bring up their half-century stand.

Those flurry of extras notwithstanding, Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma were comfortably rooted to their crease and toying around with the bowling, having already crunched nine boundaries till that point. Soon to be India's highest Powerplay score in a T20 World Cup match, it was the first half-century stand for India's most prolific pair in five innings.

The wait for the landmark stand might not seem too long, but the last time the duo had such a stretch without a half-century partnership longer than this was way back in December 2022.

On Wednesday, for as long as they were in the middle, runs kept flowing with ease, and India seemed on course to register their highest total in the format - not just get to the mark of 222, but cruise well past it. Even when Shafali departed in the 12th over, falling to a half-tracker by Heather Siegers, India were well placed.

Mandhana accelerated before falling four overs later, and then the Indian innings crumbled. In hindsight, if not for the dominant opening partnership and the flurry of extras that came along, India could have fallen short of the 200-run mark, on a flat track and against not the most challenging attack.

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Shafali and Mandhana have tied the watchability of their batting with effective, prolific and consistent run-scoring. One is the hammer, the other is the scalpel - they delight in equal measure, and both remain effective. When synced together, there is nothing more enthralling you can expect from a partnership, the blend of power and grace. They set the tone for the team, and get started by pushing oppositions on the backfoot early in the contest or the chase.

Mandhana is the ice to the fire that Shafali brings through the brute force with her batting; and that's no commentary on the pace or the efficiency with which the southpaw charges. Shafali admitted as much after their fifth century partnership.

"I feel like hitting 18 runs off six balls, but she's the one to keep me calm. (She tells me) Play along the ground," Shafali admitted. "The best thing (about playing alongside Mandhana) is that whatever shots I can't hit, she hits them and she has the best seat to tell me what I'm doing is right or wrong. Even I have the best seat to tell her the same. We both know how to rotate strike... We have been playing with each other for many years, so we both know who is to be given the strike (according to the bowler at the opposite end)."

It need not need explicit stating, but India's chances in the ongoing World Cup are heavily dependent on the performances of the openers. Before we get into the reasoning, let's have a look at some numbers which explain the extent of their dominance as a pair.

Most runs in T20Is among openers post T20 WC (batters from WC teams)

Mandhana & Shafali in Powerplay (since 2024 T20 World Cup)

No one paces along faster in the Powerplay than Shafali; Mandhana doesn't lag too far behind either. One of the most interesting aspects about their batting is the ability to keep the tempo up even after the field restrictions are taken off, allowing for a smoother transition to the middle overs. When Shafali and Mandhana do well as a pair, India perform well.

Mandhana-Shafali partnership for India in T20Is

No pair in the world has scored more runs together in T20Is than Mandhana and Shafali. And even since the last T20 World Cup, they have been the most prolific opening pair.

Most runs by openers in T20Is (since the 2024 T20 World Cup)

But it's not just about the volume of runs. Across conditions and oppositions, the duo has managed to excel. Even in slower conditions, like Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and UAE, they have scored at a brisk pace.

Mandhana-Shafali's opening partnership in each country (T20Is)

They have also outperformed openers of the top oppositions, across conditions and geographies. Or, when they haven't, they have been nearly as good.

Against Australia:

• One game ended in a no-result, where not a single ball was sent down in the second innings

Against England:

Against South Africa:

• One game ended in a no-result, where not a single ball was sent down in the second innings

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While these numbers establish their dominance and consistency over the years, their expected role in India's ongoing campaign cannot be understated. Even as India possess a strong batting line-up, one of the few in the competition that isn't reliant heavily on a few individuals, its make-up is fairly fragile.

Jemimah Rodrigues, despite her rapid progress as a T20 batter, isn't the most explosive. Harmanpreet Kaur still possesses the ability to bail the team out of a tricky situation and provide the surge, but her returns have been inconsistent. The No 5 position is up for grabs, with both contenders so far having failed to seal their chances. Richa Ghosh is already shouldering too much burden of death over hitting, and there isn't much batting creds to follow past No 7.

In light of this, the big runs as well as the explosiveness provided by Mandhana and Shafali not only becomes crucial, but imperative if India have to hope for their maiden T20 World Cup glory. This century-stand might have come against one of the weaker sides in the competition, Netherlands, but it has allowed the duo to brush aside the rustiness they've carried as a pair in the ongoing English tour.

Shafali now feels confident. "In the England series, we couldn't get the kind of partnership that we wanted. But we were both talking a lot and helping each other on how we can build a strong and energetic partnership in the middle. After the previous match, I worked a lot in the nets and tried to mentally control myself. We had a good partnership today, (and now) we both have a lot of confidence before the crucial matches; and we all know how many crucial matches there are now. We both are ready to tackle that."

If bowlers and captains around the competition weren't too bothered by the display on Wednesday, Shafali had some parting words to wake them to the threat. "It was very nice that we had a 100-run partnership. We are also trying to do the same in the upcoming matches."