Captain Harmanpreet Kaur and his deputy Smriti Mandhana One century each and a fast bowler Pooja Vastrakar The Indian women’s team defeated South Africa by four runs in the second ODI played at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Wednesday and took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.
Mandhana smashed 136 off 120 balls, scoring a century for the second consecutive match, and shared a 171-run partnership for the third wicket with Harmanpreet Kaur, who scored an unbeaten 103 off 88 balls, to help India post a mammoth 325/3 in 50 overs. shefali verma (20), Dayalan Hemalatha (24) and Richa Ghosh (25 not out) was the other scorer for India, who made the most of the opportunity they got after being invited to bat first by South Africa.
South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt scored 135 runs on one ball while Marizanne Kapp She kept South Africa in the match by scoring 114 runs in 94 balls. But the visitors lost the momentum in the last few overs and were bundled out for 321/6 in 50 overs, allowing India to win the match. The match is part of the ICC Women’s Championship. This is the first time since the introduction of women’s ODIs in 1973 that four batsmen have scored centuries in a match.
South Africa were struggling at 67/3 at one stage but then Kapp and Wolvaardt put on a brilliant partnership to not only steady the innings but also raise hopes of a win in a high-scoring encounter.
Chasing a mammoth target of 326, South Africa lost the wickets of Tanjim Brits (5), Anneke Bosch (15) and Sune Luce (12) fell early and were struggling at 67/3 in the 15th over before Kapp and Wolvaardt added 184 for the fourth wicket to take the team to 251 when Kapp was dismissed. The 34-year-old Kapp hit 11 fours and three sixes and teamed up with his captain to guide the team to victory. Kapp reached his half-century off 53 balls and his century off 85 balls, boosting his confidence.
His catch was missed on Vastrakar’s ball Deepti SharmaWolvaardt, who reached her half-century off 69 balls and century off 119 balls, kept South Africa in the final stages of the match where they needed 23 runs off the final 12 balls.
Nadine de Klerk hit a six Arundhati Reddy South Africa scored 12 runs off the last ball of the 49th over. They needed 11 runs off the last six balls of Vastrakar.
The Indian fast bowler kept her composure despite getting hit for a four off De Klerk’s ball and scored 6 runs off four balls. On the third ball of the match, she dismissed Nadine and gave an easy catch to Arundhati at long-on. Vastrakar then gave the decisive blow by getting Nondumiso Shangase caught by captain Harmanpreet. South Africa needed a six off the last ball of the match, but Wolvaardt could score only two runs and India won the match by four runs.
Vastrakar took 2 wickets for 54 runs, while Deepti Sharma took 2 wickets for 56 runs in 10 overs. Smriti Mandhana scored a century by taking 1 wicket for 13 runs.
Earlier, opener Mandhana etched her name in the history of women’s cricket by equalling the former captain. mithali rajMandhana, who holds the all-time Indian record for most centuries in women’s ODIs, equalled the legendary Raj with her brilliant innings of 136 runs.
After scoring a century in the series opener when she made 117, the flamboyant left-handed batter continued her fine form – her consecutive centuries made her the first Indian woman to achieve the feat in ODI cricket.
The match started cautiously with Mandhana, who was kept quiet by the South African bowlers during the first powerplay. India lost opener Shefali Verma early, forcing Mandhana to take charge of the innings. She cautiously paced her innings, scoring 19 runs off 40 balls and then changed gears to dominate the bowlers. Her restrained approach allowed her to reach her century in just 103 balls and eventually make 136 runs off 120 balls.
Mandhana’s innings included 18 fours and two sixes, which showed that she has the ability to score runs and score quickly. Her efforts helped India cross the 200-run mark in the 40th over itself and lay a strong foundation for a strong score.
On the other hand, captain Harmanpreet Kaur was also present to support Mandhana, who scored a century in 87 balls. The partnership of these two played an important role in maintaining the momentum and putting pressure on the South African bowlers.
However, Mandhana was dismissed in the 46th over after scoring 136 runs off 129 balls. Nonkululeko Mlaba on the covered area.
Brief Score:
India Women, 325/3 in 50 overs (Smriti Mandhana 136, Harmanpreet Kaur 103 not out; Nonkululeko Mlaba 2-51) beat South Africa, 321/6 in 50 overs (Laura Wolvaardt 135, Marizanne Kapp 114; Puka Vastrakar 2-54, Deepti Sharma 2-56) by four runs.
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