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Smriti Mandhana-led India secured a commanding 2-0 lead in their three-match ODI series against South Africa after their stunning four-run win in a thrilling encounter at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on June 19. Openers Smriti Mandhana and skipper Harmanpreet Kaur led the charge for the hosts with spectacular centuries. Mandhana continued her red-hot form, scoring a magnificent 136 runs off just 120 balls. Captain Kaur wasn't to be outdone, contributing an unbeaten 103 runs in 88 deliveries. This dominant batting display propelled India to a formidable total of 325 for 3 wickets.
Despite valiant efforts from South Africa's Laura Wolvaardt (135* off 135) and Marizanne Kapp (114), who both scored centuries, the Proteas fell just short of the target and suffered back-to-back defeats in the three-match series. India's bowling attack, with Pooja Vastrakar (2/54) and Deepti Sharma (2/56) leading the way, managed to restrict them to 321 for 6 runs.
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Laura Wolvaardt rues South Africa's defeat against India
Meanwhile, South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt was left heartbroken after close defeat against India. However, she is also proud of the way South Africa fought in a high scoring thriller.
“I think 4 runs is heartbreaking especially in a 300-run chase, but from the half-way mark, I'm extremely proud of the way we fought, especially the way Kapp played and at how the rest of the batters followed up in the chase. It was a bit difficult, the fielding wasn't great. You can look back at each little thing in a 4-run loss, it's annoying but we can look back at one of the best batting efforts. I will try to switch off, have a good sleep tonight,” Wolvaardt said in the post-match presentation.
The Proteas chase threatened to become history-making. Wolvaardt's brilliant 114 runs kept them in the hunt, and with just 12 balls remaining, they needed a mere 23 runs for a seemingly improbable victory. The pressure mounted as South Africa inched closer, needing just 11 runs off the final over.
However, India's bowlers held their nerve. Debutant Arundati Reddy delivered a crucial over, restricting the scoring and leaving South Africa with a daunting task – 11 runs from the last 6 balls. Young fast bowler Pooja Vastrakar stepped up in the pressure cooker, dismissing both Nadine de Klerk and Nondumiso Shangase in quick succession. Despite a valiant swing from Wolvaardt on the final delivery, she could only manage a single, sealing a heart-stopping victory for India.
India skipper Harmanpreet Kaur after the win said:
“Today, both the teams batted well, 650 runs is an achievement for women's cricket, happy with the way both teams played today. We were up to the mark with our batting, the ball did a bit in the first few overs, but when it got better, we batted really well. But as a bowling unit, we'll have to rethink, today was a batting track, but we can do better with the ball. In the camp, all the batters bowled, Smriti kept on telling me 'that she was a great bowler' and asked us to show faith. It was good to see her take a wicket. She has a lot of experience (on Deepti), she's someone who can always take us wickets, I said the same for her today, she got the big wicket of Kapp. I can clearly go to her, she has the skills. I was batting well in the first game but got out. I didn't want to give up, I decided against giving up, I went in early today, had worked a lot, my mindset was positive and fresh and I executed my skills.”
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