Mithali Raj and co. made
a solid start to their tour by beating South Africa in the first ODI at Diamond
Oval, Kimberley by 88 runs. Winning the toss and electing to bat first, the
Women in Blue posted a decent tally of 213-7 in their full quota of 50 overs.
India’s opening bat Smriti Mandhana stamped her authority over the Proteas as
she muscled 84 off 98 balls, that was laced with eight boundaries and a six.
The southpaw from Maharashtra found an able ally in skipper Mithali Raj who
scored a patient 45 off 70 balls. India’s middle order that was led by
vice-captain Harmanpreet Kaur failed to click. Marizanne Kapp and Ayabonga
Khaka picked up two wickets each.
Chasing 214, the hosts
never looked at ease against the strong Indian bowling line-up that was
spearheaded by Jhulan Goswami. The two medium pace bowlers; Shikha Pandey and
Jhulan Goswami bowled well in tandem, unsettling the Proteas, with their
accurate lines and lengths. The wreckers-in-chief were assisted well by the
spin wizards; Poonam Yadav and Rajeshwari Gayakwad. Dane van Niekerk, the
skipper of South Africa was the lone warrior scoring 41 off 88 balls. In the
end, the hosts were done and dusted for a paltry 125 in 43.2 overs, handing an
easy win to the visitors.
The two teams face off in
the second of three match-ODI series on Feb 7 at the Diamond Oval, Kimberley.
Source: Twitter
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