In the series finale against New Zealand at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, Smriti Mandhana recorded her third ODI century of 2024, breaking the bat-first-win game pattern.
With Yastika Bhatia (35) and Harmanpreet Kaur (59*) providing impressive displays, Mandhana scored 100 off 122 as the home team easily won a chase of 232 with six wickets and 34 balls remaining, securing the series by a 2-1 advantage.
Despite the early loss of Shafali Verma, who was strangled down the legside by Hannah Rowe, India was rarely troubled during the chase.
Mandhana was given the luxury of a sluggish start because the target was relatively easy. At one point, she was nine off twenty-six. This gave her time to develop a feel for the pitch and figure out her timing and range.
Her innings began with a lofted straight shot from Eden Carson and a swivel-pull from Sophie Devine. To betpro exchange account and watch all cricket highlights.
In their 76-run partnership, Mandhana and Bhatia never really got out of second gear. Bhatia scored 35 runs and hit four boundaries before hitting a straight back to Devine for a caught and bowled.
Any hopes of a New Zealand comeback were swiftly dashed as Mandhana skilfully increased her tempo while Harmanpreet ate a nutritious diet of singles and doubles.
The southpaw reached her fifty in seventy-three balls, then hit a boundary in each of the next two overs, hitting ten in total, to reduce the target to double figures.
Although the Indian skipper needed treatment for a problem with her left leg, it wasn’t severe enough to stop her innings or the chase’s momentum. She helped India surpass 150 by hitting two fours in a row.
Now, in cruise control, the two senior batsmen flicked a switch, and the visiting captain Devine’s 37th over indicated that they didn’t want to pursue this chase too far. Before Mandhana pulled for fours and lofted an off-drive, Harmanpreet blasted a four past mid-wicket.
After driving Carson too long off for a single, Harmanpreet reached her 50th off 54 balls, and her deputy then achieved her eighth ODI century, surpassing Mithali Raj’s Indian record of seven.
When victory was just 24 runs away, Mandhana collapsed after their 117-run standby, but Jemimah Rodrigues accelerated the victory march with four fours in her 18-ball 22. In the forty-fifth over, India reached home.
The field made gains, but the chase was planned with clockwork precision. After giving up as many as six opportunities in the second ODI, India put up a better fielding display when asked to bowl first again on a hot afternoon.
Rodrigues dismissed the senior opener, and they had three runouts today, including one right at the top to separate the in-form opening pair of Suzie Bates and Georgia Plimmer.
Plimmer attempted to bring back her explosive performance from a few nights prior, but New Zealand only managed to score 35 for 2 in the PowerPlay. In her prime, Devine hit two firm boundaries in her opening seven balls, but Priya Mishra’s outstanding wrong ‘un got her.
Mishra, who was only playing in her second ODI, also dismissed Plimmer for 39 after drawing an edge that Deepti Sharma, who interestingly conceded three runs in the previous game, snapped.
After another misunderstanding resulted in Maddy Green’s runout with Rodrigues, the alert fielder, New Zealand was five down for 88. Brooke Halliday was responsible for spearheading the turnaround, and she found a capable companion in Isabella Gaze, who scored 25 off 49 in a 64-run stand.
Before putting her foot on the accelerator, Halliday reached her sixth half-century in the 40th over after hitting a six off Mishra in the 38th.
After hitting a career-high 86 off 96, she fell in the 46th over after hitting two more sixes. Deepti maintained her strong form and concluded with three wickets, but India still gave up 70 runs in the last eight overs of the innings without Shreyanka Patil, who was out due to shin splints. But it would be okay for them on this particular day since New Zealand needed more.
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Short scores: The New Zealand India 236/4 in 44.2 overs (Smriti Mandhana 100, Harmanpreet Kaur 59*; Hannah Rowe 2-47) defeated 232 in 49.5 overs (Brooke Halliday 86, Georgia Plimmer 39; Deepti Sharma 3-39, Priya Mishra 2-41) by six wickets.