IND-W vs SA-W 1st ODI: Smriti Mandhana And Asha Sobhana Lead India to 143-Run Victory. Debutant Asha Sobhana impressively took four wickets as India rejected South Africa’s attempt on 122 in the series opener making the Indians command a 143-run win and a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. South Africa was chasing for the entire match, they then lost their first wicket in the opening over, and afterwards, spinners from India controlled the matches, so the hosts were forced to play defensively throughout.
India’s Smriti Mandhana scored her sixth ODI century and through that, the host achieved a highly competitive total of 265/8 in a match with South Africa in Bengaluru on the last Sunday in the process. In the case, when India chose to play the first innings, they were in real trouble. However, Mandhana, with a resilient 117, and Deepti Sharma, who added 37, spearheaded a solid recovery. Pooja Vastrakar, who added an unbeaten 31, also had a role in this, thus, they ended on a higher side.
Striving to reach a demanding score, South Africa’s innings had a solid start. The team’s best batsmen took their time to score a goal, therefore, they built a strong basis for the hunt. Nonetheless, the chase was tough as they found it difficult to accelerate their run rate due to India’s bowlers’ consistent pressure. To add to the good news, the lower order of the team struggled, but at the same time, the leading players made noteworthy contributions. All in all the team did good but failed to reach the target.
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Smriti Mandhana Rises To 2nd-Highest International Run-Scorer for India
Smriti Mandhana, one of India’s openers, put herself in the history books as she became the nation’s second-highest run-scorer. Mandhana fought the century of the day against South Africa with all her strength and in the end, she reached the milestone of 7,000 runs, the same as Mithali Raj, the ex-skipper from India. Mandhana’s mere 117 not out off 127 deliveries away from fast bowler Kapp lifted her overall international career total to 7,059 runs. Only one Indian cricketer – former captain Mithali Raj, has scored the most on the international level with a number that goes beyond 10,868.
IND-W vs SA-W Squads
India Women: Shefali Verma, Renuka Singh Thakur, Richa Ghosh (wicketkeeper), Jemimah Rodrigues, Radha Yadav, Dayalan Hemalatha, Shreyanka Patil, Smriti Mandhana, Pooja Vastrakar, Deepti Sharma, Harmanpreet Kaur (captain).
South Africa Women: Ayabonga Khaka, Nonkululeko Mlaba, Tazmin Brits (wicketkeeper), Nadine de Klerk, Sune Luus, Marizanne Kapp, Laura Wolvaardt (captain), Tumi Sekhukhune, Anneke Bosch, Sinalo Jafta, M Klaas.
