India edge past South Africa in a record-breaking run-fest at the Chinnaswamy Stadium to seal the ODI series.
The Women in blue led by skipper Harmanpreet Kaur clinched the first ODI by a thumping 143-run victory to go 1-0 up in the three-match ODI series. Smriti Mandhana smashed her 6th ODI century and was awarded the Player of the Match for her match-winning knock (117 runs off 127 balls) with the bat.
The South African skipper Laura Wolvaardt won the toss and opted to field first. After being inserted to bat first, the Indian openers, Shafali Veerma and Smriti Mandhana got off to a cautious start, scoring at under three runs per over in the powerplay. The left-arm spinner Nonkululeko Mlaba picked up the wicket of Shafali Verma to provide the first breakthrough for South Africa. Dayalan Hemalatha joined Smriti Mandhana at the crease and the duo stitched a crucial 62-run partnership for the 2nd wicket.
Masabata Klaas picked up the wicket of Dayalan Hemalatha to provide the 2nd breakthrough for her side. Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur joined Smriti Mandhana at the crease and the duo stitched a massive 171-run partnership for the 3rd wicket, taking the total past the 270-run mark. It is also the third-highest 3rd wicket partnership for India in ODIs. Left-arm spinner Nonkululeko Mlaba came back and picked up the big wicket of Smriti Mandhana to provide the 3rd breakthrough for South Africa.
Smriti Mandhana notched up her 7th ODI century, the joint-most centuries by an Indian in the ODI format alongside Mithali Raj before getting dismissed. India posted a massive total of 325/3 in their quota of overs. Smriti Mandhana (136 off 120 balls), was her career-best score in the ODI surpassing her previous best (135) against the same opponents. Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur also smashed her 6th ODI century (103 off 88 balls), her maiden century against South Africa in the ODI format. A quick-fire knock of the wicket-keeper batter Richa Ghosh (25 off 13 balls) propelled India to a massive total. It is also the highest total for India at home in the ODI format.
Nonkululeko Mlaba (10-0-51-2), Ayabonga Khakha (10-2-51-0), and Masbata Klaas (10-0-67-1) were the top performers with the ball for South Africa. Chasing a massive target of 326, South Africa got off to a poor start as they lost the wicket of their opening batter Tazmin Brits in the 4th over of the run chase. Arundhati Reddy provided the first breakthrough for India. It was also her maiden ODI wicket.
Anneke Bosch joined skipper Laura Wolvaardt at the crease and the duo stitched a crucial 40-run partnership for the 2nd wicket. Deepti Sharma picked up the wicket of Anne Bosch to provide the 2nd breakthrough for her side. Sune Luus soon followed her back to the pavilion to provide the 3rd breakthrough for India. Marizanne Kapp joined skipper Laura Wolvaardt at the crease and the duo stitched a massive 184-run partnership for the 4th wicket, to take them past the 250-run mark.
Deepti Sharma came back and picked up the much-needed breakthrough of Marizanne Kapp for India. She completed her 3rd ODI century before getting dismissed. Nadine de Klerk joined skipper Laura Wolvaardt at the crease and the duo stitched another crucial 69-run partnership for the 5th wicket. South Africa were eventually restricted to a total of 321/6 in their quota of overs, falling short of the target by four runs.
The South African skipper Laura Wolvaardt (135 off 135 balls), Marizanne Kapp (114 runs off 94 balls), and Nadine de Klerk (28 off 22 balls) were the top performers with the bat for South Africa. Deepti Sharma (10-1-56-2), Pooja Vastrakar (7-0-54-2), and Arundhati Reddy (8-0-62-1) were the top performers with the ball for India. Vice-Captain Smriti Mandhana who had a dream day with the bat also went on to pick her maiden International wicket when she dismissed the former South African skipper Sune Luus in the first over of her two-over spell (2-0-13-1).
Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur was awarded the Player of the Match for her exceptional performance, scoring a match-winning knock (103 off 88 balls) with the bat. She alongside Smriti Mandhana played a crucial role as the home side, India bagged the three-match ODI series (2-0). The 2nd ODI of the series witnessed as many as four centurions (Smriti Mandhana: [136 off 120 balls], Harmanpreet Kaur: [103 off 88 balls], Marizanne Kapp: [114 off 94 balls], and Laura Wolvaardt: [135 off 135 balls]) the most-ever in the women’s ODIs. The third and the final ODI of the series will be played on 23rd June 2024 (Sunday) from 1:30 PM IST.