The two best sides of the Under-19 Triangular series, India B, led by Niki Prasad, finished at the top of the table with a flawless campaign gaining 16 points from four games in the round-robin games, was up against South Africa, led by Kayla Reyneke, who finished 2nd with 8 points from four games including a couple of victories in the round robin stages.
The grand finale of the Women’s Under-19 Triangular series promised to be a nail-biting contest between the table toppers, India B and South Africa, while winless India A finished at the bottom.
A clinical show from the India B bowlers restricted South Africa to 142/5
The South African openers Jemma Botha and Simone Lourens got their side off to a positive start with a brisk 56-run opening partnership after the opposition skipper Niki Prasad won the toss and opted to field first at the MCA Cricket Stadium, Pune, in the grand finale of the Under-19 Triangular series.
Parshavi Chopra picked up the wicket of Jemma Botha to provide the first breakthrough for the home side. C Venter soon followed her back to the pavilion to provide the 2nd breakthrough for India B. Decent partnerships (31 off 24 balls) between skipper Kayla Reyneke and Simone Lourens for the 3rd wicket, followed by another crucial 30-run 4th wicket stand between Karabo Meso and skipper Kayla Reyneke took South Africa past the 140-run mark (142/5) in their quota of 20 overs.
Skipper Kayla Reyneke (37 off 29 balls), Jemma Botha (34 off 27 balls), and Simone Lourens (33 off 30 balls) were the crucial contributors with the bat for South Africa. Nandhana Sridharan (4-0-24-0), Parshavi Chopra (2-0-7-1), Vaishnavi Sharma (3-0-16-2), and Mithila Vinod (4-0-28-0) were the positives with the ball for India B.
G Kamalini and Niki Prasad delivered yet another victory as India B was crowned champions
India B openers Bharti Upadhaya and wicket-keeper batter G Kamalini got their side off to a solid start with a 35-run opening partnership while chasing a decent total of 143. The South African bowlers bounced back with a couple of quick wickets to remove Bharti Upadhaya and Aayushi Shukla inside the first seven overs of the run chase.
Skipper Niki Prasad (49* off 31 balls) joined wicket-keeper batter G Kamalini (79* off 62 balls) at the crease and the duo took their side over the line with 8 wickets in hand and 11 balls to spare courtesy of an unbeaten 102-run 3rd wicket partnership. F Cowling (3-0-15-1), and Jemma Both (4-0-29-1) were the lone wicket-takers with the ball for South Africa. Luyanda Nzuza (4-0-28-0), and skipper Kayla Reyneke (3.1-0-25-0) took the game deep with their decent spell.
Wicket-keeper batter G Kamalini was awarded the Player of the Match for her brilliant performance (79* off 62 balls). She was also awarded the Player of the Series for being the top run-getter throughout the series courtesy of her remarkable consistency, registering scores of 37(40), 63*(44), 11(9), 80(61), and 79*(62).
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