Harmanpreet Kaur pulled a rabbit out of her hat when she hit
a much needed six off the penultimate ball of the match, to take her team close to
the victory. India needed eight runs off two balls with one wicket in hand. The
dressing rooms of both the teams were tensed and the players had almost bitten
up their nails. It was a cracker of a contest between two of the best teams and
the finale at P Sara Oval deserved to go down the wire.
Winning the toss and opting to bat first, South Arica posted
a commanding 244 on board, with Mignon Du Preez (40) and skipper Dane van
Niekerk (37) playing a pivotal part. Left arm spinner Rajeshwari Gayakwad was
the pick of the bowlers scalping 3-51 in her none overs and was supported by
India’s ace spearhead Shikha Pandey who accounted for 2-41 in her eight.
Chasing 245 runs was not going to be a cakewalk and this was
a known fact to the stand-in captain Harmanpreet Kaur and her girls. The absence
of India’s most prolific batter Mithali Raj made the target look even more daunting.
But it was again the magic of Mona Meshram (59) at the top that made it look
easy. Coming in at no.3 Deepti Sharma (71) shouldered the responsibility and
stitched a 124-run partnership with Meshram which almost shattered the hopes of
Proteas. The match was a roller coaster ride and the fate of the game was not
decided till the ultimate ball was bowled. Kaur (41*) played a captain’s knock
and with her last couple of balls heroics saw India through. Deepti Sharma was
adjudged as the Player of the Match.
Women in Blue remained unbeaten throughout the ICC Women’s
World Cup Qualifiers 2017. The Indian team will hope that they continue this
winning streak and take this form to the British soil this English summer.
Brief Scores: South
Africa Women 244 all out in 49.4 overs (M du Preez 40, D van Niekerk 37; R
Gayakwad 3-51, S Pandey 2-41) lost to India Women 245-9 in 50 overs (D Sharma
71, M Meshram 59; M Kapp, A Khaka) by one wicket
Source: ICC
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