India led by skipper Harmanpreet Kaur clinched the three-match T20I series 2-1 against the West Indies led by skipper Hayley Matthews. The caravan now moves on to the three-match ODI series from 22nd to 27th December 2024.
Regular skipper Harmanpreet Kaur returned to the side after recovering from an injury and 24-year-old youngster Pratika Rawal was handed a debut cap for India.
Smriti Mandhana’s 91 overshadows Zaida James maiden five-wicket haul
The debutant Pratika Rawal had her share of luck as the Indian openers put together a massive 110-run stand after the opposition skipper Hayley Matthews yet again won the toss and opted to field first in the 1st ODI at the Kotambi Stadium, Vadodara. Skipper Matthews took the matter into her own hands to send the debutant Pratika Rawal (40 off 69 balls) back to the pavilion courtesy of a stunning return catch of her bowling to provide the first breakthrough for the West Indies. She fell just 10 runs short of her half-century on debut.
Mandhana also completed her 4th consecutive half-century against the West Indies off just 62 balls. Harleen Doel joined Mandhana at the crease and the duo took the innings deep with another crucial 50-run partnership for the 2nd wicket. Zaida James picked up the big wicket of Smriti Mandhana (91 off 102 balls) to provide the much-needed 2nd breakthrough for her side. The Indian vice-captain fell 9 runs short of another well-deserved century.
Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur joined Harleen Deol at the crease and the duo took the home side past the 200-run mark with a 66-run 3rd wicket partnership. Deandra Dottin cleaned up Harleen Deol to provide the 3rd breakthrough for the West Indies. India kept losing wickets at regular intervals in their bid to maximise the scoring opportunity. India eventually ended up with a total of 314/9 in their quota of 50 overs. Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur (34 off 23 balls), Jemimah Rodrigues (31 off 19 balls), and wicket-keeper batter Richa Ghosh (26 off 13 balls) played their part with the bat for India.
India’s top 6 did the bulk of the scoring accounting for around 85% of the team’s total. Zaida James (8-0-45-5) picked up her maiden five-wicket haul in the format, while skipper Hayley Matthews (10-1-61-2), Deandra Dottin (10-0-63-1), and Karishma Ramharack (10-0-62-0) were also the positives with the ball for the West Indies.
Renuka Singh shines with maiden 5-fer to push the West Indies into self-destruct mode
Chasing a massive total of 315, the visitors got off to the worst possible start as they lost Qiana Joseph to a run-out on the very first ball of the run chase she had only herself to blame. West Indies switched into self-destruct mode losing a bunch of wickets one after the other. As a result, they found themselves in deep trouble at 34/6 in 13 overs of the run chase.
Zaida James joined wicket-keeper batter Shemaine Campbelle at the crease and the duo took their side past the 50-run mark with a much-needed 18-run partnership for the 7th wicket. Priya Mishra trapped Zaida James plumb in front to provide the 7th breakthrough for India. The West Indian lower order showed much better fight and resilience with decent partnerships, towards the back end, especially in the context of their collapse in the run chase.
The 14-run 8th wicket stand between wicket-keeper batter Shemaine Campbelle (21 off 39 balls) and Afy Fletcher, followed by the 18-run 9th wicket partnership between Karishma Ramharack (11 off 14 balls), and another crucial 19-run 10th wicket stand between Shamilia Connell and Afy Fletcher (24* off 22 balls) took them past the 100-run mark. The visitors eventually got bundled out for 103 with 142 balls to spare. As a result, they fell 211 runs short of the target as India registered their third biggest win in the format.
Renuka Singh Thakur (10-1-29-5) claimed her maiden five-wicket haul in the format, while Priya Mishra (4.2-0-22-2), and Titas Sadhu (7-2-24-1) were also the stand-out performers with the ball for India with the ball.
Renuka Singh Thakur was also awarded the Player of the Match for her sensational spell with the ball, playing a crucial role with the ball to give India the ODI series lead after the batters set up a solid total.
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