India defeated South Africa by six wickets in the third and final women’s ODI, completing a 3-0 series whitewash, with Smriti Mandhana playing a key role.
India defeated South Africa six wickets to win the third and final women’s ODI in Bengaluru on Sunday, completing a 3-0 series whitewash. Smriti Mandhana waltzed to a famously exquisite ninety. With effective support casts in Shafali Verma (25), Priya Punia (28) and Harmanpreet Kaur (42, 48b, 2×4), Mandhana—whose century came off 83 balls (11×4)—enabled India to surpass the target of 216 without putting much effort. Despite captain Laura Wolvaardt’s strong 61 (57b, 7×4), South Africa was bowled out for a paltry 215 for eight overs, while the hosts scored 220 for four in 40.4 overs.
Mandhana dominated this ODI series, collecting 343 runs at an average of 114.33, despite the fact that she failed to get her third hundred on the trot.
Once again maintaining his composure in the center, the 27-year-old played some characteristically elegant strokes around the Chinnaswamy stadium.
The Indian vice-captain had plenty of opportunity to explore her game without any pressure because the wicket had smoothed out during the chase and the South African bowling was anything but intimidating.
Her signature swings and passes, including as the swivel pulls, cover drives, straight drives, and late taps that touch the rope after tease the third man fielder, were on display.
Still, Mandhana’s fellow batsmen also merited praise for their modest but well-executed blows.
She was aided by Priya, who is playing in an ODI for the first time since 2019, to score 62 runs in 66 balls for the second wicket. Shafali helped her make 61 runs in 11.5 overs for the opening wicket.
The undefeated third wicket stand, which was worth 54 runs, included a fluent captain in Harmanpreet.
Ayabonga Khaka spoilt her effort to sweep left-arm spinner Nonku Mlaba, so the boisterous, fiercely politicised crowd of almost 15,000 did not witness a popular Mandhana century.
The Indian bowlers earlier displayed an unwavering will to hold South Africa to 215 for eight after the visitors quickly reached 102 runs without a loss in 19.5 overs.
As SA appeared headed for a large total that would have given them a chance to record a consolation victory, Wolvaardt and Tazmin Brits (38, 66b, 2×4, 1×6) neutralized Indian bowlers during their first-wicket partnership.
A hint of different bounce was obvious when pacer Pooja Vastrakar (13) beat Sune Luus’s defense with a delivery that stayed close to her ankle, indicating that both Wolvaardt and the British were at ease against the Indian bowlers.
The South African openers, on the other hand, managed to counter that, scoring runs more sensibly with singles, twos, and the odd power shot. They also rarely went for overhead shots.
The only explosive moment came when left-arm spinner Radha Yadav gave the British a six over mid-wicket after a little shimmy down the track.
But Wolvaardt, on the other hand, never actually took unnecessary chances, maintaining a strike-rate of over 100.
After the tourists reached 100 runs in the eighteenth over, bowler Arundhati Reddy’s brilliant return catch to remove a set Wolvaardt turned around their fortunes.
But the downfall was also due to South Africa’s own transgressions.
Just as they were about to step it up, Brits and 16-year-old Nondumise Shangase charged out for non-existent singles to get run out.
It was always going to be too big of a hole for the Proteas to get out of after they lost eight wickets for 113 runs during that time.
