The hitting was incredible and the sixes unbelievably monstrous, making Harmanpreet Singh the first Indian woman to record a century in the format and propelling her team to a 34-run win over New Zealand in their World T20 opener Friday.

The 29-year-old smashed 103 off 51 balls and her carnage included eight sixes, some of them towering, and seven boundaries.

Opting to bat after the coin landed in her favour at the Providence Stadium, Harmanpreet and Jemimah Rodrigues (59 off 45 balls) added 134 runs for the fourth wicket to guide India to an imposing 194 for five in the stipulated 20 overs. In reply, New Zealand managed at 160 for nine.

“A good game, but we still have a long way to go,” Harmanpreet said after the convincing win.

Harmanpreet was required to walk into the middle early, at the fall of debutant Dayalan Hemalatha’s wicket in only the sixth over. India were in a spot of bother when Hemalatha was dismissed, and another wicket would have only added to their worry. However, Harmanpreet and Jemimah had other ideas, adding runs at a quick pace, which included a phase when India scored 56 runs in five overs.

Harmanpreet, whose scintillating 171 against Australia in the World Cup semi-final last year remains fresh in the memory, looked comfortable from the word go and, in the company of Jemimah, built the innings with consummate ease.

Harmanpreet got into the mode with two sixes off Jess Watkin in the 10th over, as India reached 76 for the loss of three wickets. Her team added a staggering 118 runs in last 10 overs, thanks to a flurry of boundaries and sixes by Harmanpreet. She played shots on all sides of the wicket and was most effective in the long-off, long-on and the deep mid-wicket region.

The 100-run partnership was up in quick time, after the duo scored 16 runs in one of the overs in the back 10. That was just one of the big overs for the team.

Having cleared the fence eight times, Harmanpreet now has the most number of sixes for India in a T20 innings, beating her own record of five, set against Sri Lanka in September this year.

Having struck seven boundaries, Rodrigues, at 18, became the youngest player to score a fifty in the Word T20. But, in her attempt to up the ante, gave away her wicket.

Chasing a stiff target, New Zealand were off to flyer with the seasoned Suzie Bates (67 off 50 balls) and Anna Peterson (14) racing to 52 in just under seven over. While Peterson was dismissed by Hemalatha for India’s first breakthrough, Bates continued to bat fluently and kept New Zealand in the hunt.