Captain Harmanpreet Kaur and her deputy Smriti Mandhana scored a century each and pacer Pooja Vastrakar bowled a superb final as India women defeated South Africa by four runs in a well-fought second One-day International that ended in a thriller and gave India an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Wednesday.
Mandhana smashed 120-ball 136, a century in her second successive match, and shared a 171-run third-wicket partnership with Harmanpreet Kaur, who scored an unbeaten 103 off 88 balls as India posted a huge 325/3 in 50 overs. Opener Shafali Verma (20), Dayalan Hemalatha (24) and Richa Ghosh (25 not out) were India’s other top scorers, making the most of the opportunity after being asked to bat first by South Africa.
South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt scored a run-a-ball 135 while Marizanne Kapp smashed a 94-ball 114 to keep South Africa in the hunt. But the visitors lost their way in the final overs and were restricted to 321/6 in 50 overs as India won the match which is part of the ICC Women’s Championship. Since women’s ODIs began in 1973, this is the first time that four batters have scored a ton in a match.
South Africa were struggling at 67/3 at one stage before Kapp and Wolvaardt shared an excellent partnership to not only revive the innings but also raise hopes of a victory in the highest-scoring slugfest.
Chasing a huge 326, South Africa lost Tanzim Brits (5), Anneke Bosch (15) and Sune Luus (12) early and were struggling at 67/3 in the 15th over before Kapp and Wolvaardt combined to raise 184 runs for the fourth wicket partnership and take them to 251 when Kapp was out. Kapp, 34, hit 11 boundaries and three sixes to rescue his team in the company of his captain. Kapp reached his half-century off 53 balls and his century off 85 balls as he gained confidence.
Her departure to a catch from Vastrakar off Deepti Sharma, Wolvaardt, who made her fifty off 69 balls and a hundred off 119 balls, kept South Africa in the hunt as they reached the final stages of the match, needing 23 runs off the last 12 deliveries.
Nadine de Klerk hit a six off Arundhati Reddy off the last ball as South Africa scored 12 runs in the 49th over. They needed 11 runs off the last six balls bowled by Vastrakar.
The Indian pace remained calm despite being beaten for a four by de Klerk, taking the equation to 6 runs in four balls as he dismissed Nadine off the third ball of the match, causing her to offer an easy catch to Arundhati at long off . about. Vastrakar then struck a decisive blow by sending back Nondumiso Shangase, captured by captain Harmanpreet. South Africa needed six off the final ball of the match but Wolvaardt managed just two runs as India won the match by four runs.
Vastrakar finished with 2-54 while Deepti Sharma took 2-56 from her 10 overs. Smriti Mandhana took 1-13 to add her century.
Earlier, opener Mandhana etched her name in the annals of women’s cricket history by equaling former captain Mithali Raj’s all-time Indian record for most centuries in women’s ODIs. Mandhana’s brilliant 136-run knock put her on par with the legendary Raj.
After her century in the series opener, when she scored 117 runs, the flamboyant left-hander continued her excellent form – her consecutive centuries made her the first Indian woman to achieve this feat in ODI cricket.
The match began with a cautious start for Mandhana, who was shut up by the South African bowlers during the first powerplay. India lost opener Shafali Verma early, leaving Mandhana to anchor the innings. She meticulously constructed her innings, reaching 19 off 40 balls before shifting gears to dominate the bowlers. Her composed approach paid off as she reached her century in just 103 balls, scoring 136 from 120 balls.
Mandhana’s knock was adorned with 18 boundaries and two sixes, showing her ability to accumulate and accelerate runs. Efforts from him propelled India past the 200-run mark in the 40th over, laying a solid foundation for a formidable total.
Supporting Mandhana at the other end was captain Harmanpreet Kaur, who also scored an 87-ball century. The duo’s partnership was crucial in maintaining the momentum and putting pressure on the South African bowlers.
However, Mandhana was dismissed in the 46th minute for scoring 136 off 129 deliveries, trying to hit Nonkululeko Mlaba at cover region.
Brief scores:
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; Pooka Vastrakar 2-54 , Deepti Sharma 2-56) by four runs.
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