Fab 4 for Pooja Vastrakar, India win
Chennai, July 9
Pacer Pooja Vastrakar ran riot with a career-best bowling show of 4/13 before Smriti Mandhana shone with the bat with an unbeaten half-century as India thrashed South Africa by 10 wickets in the third and final women’s T20 International to level the series 1-1 here today.
10
This was India’s biggest victory over South Africa in this format, both in terms of wickets (10) and balls to spare (55)
It was an opportunity for me and whatever I practiced in the nets — bowling wicket-to-wicket — I executed. Bowling hard lengths help me. As an opportunity and a responsibility, the team felt I should be given the new ball. And I wanted to pick up early wickets. Pooja Vastrakar
172
This is the lowest match aggregate (172) involving IND Women & SA Women in WT20Is
Left-arm spinner Radha Yadav (3/6) also chipped in with a fine performance of from her three overs to help India shoot South Africa out for a mere 84 in 17.1 overs after opting to bowl.
India easily chased down the small target of 85 with 55 balls to spare and without losing a wicket with opening batters Mandhana and Shafali Verma remaining not out on 54 and 27, respectively.
Mandhana hit the winning runs — a six off Nadine de Klerk — as India reached 88/0 in 10.5 overs. This was India’s biggest victory over South Africa in this format, both in terms of wickets (10) and balls to spare (55).
Mandhana, who was at her magnificent best towards the end of the run chase, hit a six in the 10th over and followed it up with two fours and a sixer in the next to end the contest quickly. This was her 24th T20I half-century.
The opening duo played smart cricket, managing 40 for no loss at the end of the powerplay, with the visitors using five different bowlers in this phase but without any success Mandhana and Verma later went for the big shots to end the contest quickly. In all, Mandhana struck eight fours and two sixes from the 40 balls she faced while Verma scored three fours from 25 balls.
South Africa had won the first match by 12 runs before the second T20I was washed out on Saturday.
Brief scores: SA: 84 all out in 17.1 overs (Brits 20; Vastrakar 4/13, Radha 3/6); India: 88/0 in 10.5 overs (Mandhana 54*, Shafali 27).
