The Indian Women’s team wrapped up a clinical six-wicket victory over South Africa in the third ODI at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on Sunday, producing an all-round show that sealed the three-match ODI series.
Chasing the target of 216, India did so quite comfortably with more than nine overs left as the scoreboard read. Definitely the highlight of the innings was Smriti Mandhana’s masterful knock of 90 runs off 83 balls, which was laced with 11 boundaries.
Mandhana’s graceful strike continued to prove her ability, impressing the 15,000 present at the ground. Just when it seemed she was on the cards for a third successive century, a top-edge catch ended her innings, but the contribution she made helped eventually steer India to victory.
Mandhana got decent support from Priya Punia, who scored 28 runs off 40 balls, also hitting three fours and a six. Captain Harmanpreet Kaur added 42 runs off 48 balls to stabilize the chase following the early dismissals. Opener Shafali Verma could not convert the start as she fell for 25 runs with the help of four fours off 39 deliveries, due to her over-aggressive instincts.
The South African decision to bat first had begun promisingly when captain Laura Wolvaardt joined Tazmin Brits in an opening stand of 102. The attacking platform was laid by Wolvaardt, who scored 61 runs off 57 balls with seven boundaries. Her loss, due to a sharp catch by Arundhati Reddy, brought about the rout.
The Proteas never quite recovered after the middle order collapsed. Shreyanka Patil’s important wicket of Marizanne Kapp, who scored a brisk 20, further dented South Africa’s progress as they slipped to 120 for four. While Nadine de Klerk offered some resistance with 26 runs off 46 balls and Mieke de Ridder was unbeaten on 26 off 31 balls, somehow South Africa batted through all their 50 overs but could only limp to 215—a good way below a genuinely competitive total.
Reflecting on their performance, Arundhati Reddy said, “It is always a great feeling when your contribution helps the side win. The catches were important, and I’m happy I could make a difference when it mattered.
The star of the chase, Mandhana was all praise for the performance of her team. “It’s a big boost to win the series 3-0 against a strong team like South Africa. All our hard work is showing on the field. I am pretty glad that I could contribute to the win,”.
