MATCH REPORT
Follow UsIn the first match of the series, South Africa put in a dominant performance, restricting India to a below-par total before successfully chasing the target down with ease. In the second game on Tuesday (9 March 2021), the roles were reversed as India first bowled the visitors out for 157 before an unbeaten 138-run partnership between the Smriti Mandhana and Punam Raut saw the hosts cruise to a comfortable nine-wicket win at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow.
EARLY BREAKTHROUGHS FOR INDIA
While Lizelle Lee and Laura Wolvaardt had put on a 169-run partnership for South Africa's opening wicket in Sunday’s game, they weren’t able to make huge contributions on this occasion, with Jhulan Goswami getting an early breakthrough for India in the first over of the game. Lee had to make her way back to the pavillion after she was adjudged leg-before-wicket. There is no DRS in this series, or else you feel Lee would have had thoughts of contesting that decision as replays showed that it was a very close call.
Mansi Joshi, who did not play in the first game, began superbly here, getting the ball to move away from the right-handed batters at the start of the innings. She got her reward when she got Wolvaardt caught behind for nine. Considering the form that the South Africa opener has been in recently, it was a very important wicket for India.
After the early fall of wickets, Sune Luus and Lara Goodall did well to rebuild South Africa's innings. Both got starts and put on a 60-run partnership for the third wicket. One interesting aspect of their batting was how they regularly used the sweep shot against the Indian spinners.
Joshi then returned to the bowling attack and got the crucial wicket of Luus for 36. Just like her earlier dismissal of Wolvaardt, Joshi found the outside edge of the bat on this occasion as well. This was an important moment in the game as India would go on to completely dominate proceedings from hereon.
GOSWAMI, GAYAKWAD STAR FOR INDIA
While Goodall played a fine innings, the other middle-order batters in the South African line-up failed to get going. The experienced duo of Mignon du Preez and Marizanne Kapp weren't able to make significant contributions, dismissed for 11 and 10 by Rajeshwari Gayakwad and Goswami respectively.
Mithali Raj's bowling changes worked well through the innings and her call to bring on Harmanpreet Kaur in the 34th over turned out to be one among multiple great decisions made by the Indian skipper. Harmanpreet got the big wicket of Goodall off the first delivery she bowled, with the South African batter missing a half-century by just one run.
India could have had more success soon after, with Trisha Chetty caught off the bowling of Goswami. But the Indian bowling great had overstepped which led to Chetty getting a reprieve.
Goswami, though, didn't have to wait long to add to her tally of wickets as she bowled Nadine de Klerk and Shabnim Ismail in her following over. The right-arm pacer, who is the leading wicket-taker in women's ODIs, put India in command of the game with bowling figures of 4/42 from her 10 overs. Unsurprisingly, she was later named the Player of the Match.
Gayakwad then took the final two wickets as South Africa were bowled out for 157.
Excellent fight back by India led ably by @JhulanG10 who is such a competitor. Some soft dismissals by SA. An easy chase but how India go about it is crucial. #INDvsSA
— Lisa Sthalekar (@sthalekar93) March 9, 2021
MANDHANA, RAUT ENSURE INDIA CRUISE TO VICTORY
In pursuit of a target of 158, India got off to a magnificent start with Mandhana slamming two sixes off the first two deliveries she faced in the opening over of the innings. But South Africa then pulled things back, with some tight overs and the wicket of Jemimah Rodrigues. It was Ismail, who was expensive in her first over, with the wicket. On the other hand, Kapp and Ayabonga Khaka were very economical.
While there were some hiccups, India were soon cruising to victory with Mandhana and Raut complimenting each other brilliantly. The former was exceptional, bringing up her fifty in just 46 deliveries. At the other end, Raut began cautiously before she too went into boundary-hitting mood. India's number three went on to bring up her 14th ODI half-century and was unbeaten on 62 at the end of the game. Meanwhile, Mandhana scored 80 not out from only 64 deliveries in an innings that included 10 fours and three sixes.
With this win, India have now levelled the series with the next game scheduled to take place on Friday (12 March 2021) at the same venue.
