Priya Punia and Jhulan Goswami guide India to 8-wicket win over South Africa

Riding on debutant Priya Punia’s mellifluous knock of 75 (not out), India chased down the target set by South Africa quite comfortably on Wednesday in the first ODI that was played at Reliance Stadium, Vadodara. Earlier in the day, the visitors won the toss and elected to bat first. However they were bundled out for 164 in 45.1 overs, courtesy Jhulan Goswami’s (3-33 in 7.1 overs) fiery bowling. Shikha Pandey gave her good company as she struck with 2-38 in her 10 overs. The spin trio of Ekta Bisht (2-28), Deepti Sharma (1-31) and Poonam Yadav (2-33) joined the party as they picked up the remaining five wickets. Marizanne Kapp top scored with a gritty 54.

In reply, the hosts achieved the target in 41.4 overs with eight wickets to spare. The opening pair of Priya Punia (75 not out) and Jemimah Rodrigues (55) stitched a solid partnership of 83 giving the right kind of platform for the batters to follow. Picking up one wicket each, Nadine de Klerk and Nondumiso Shangase were the only two successful bowlers out of the seven used.  

India lead the three match ODI series 1-0. The two sides will meet for the second ODI on Friday at the same venue.

Source: ICC

South Africa end the T20 series with grace; India win the series 3-1

It seemed to be an altogether different South African outfit that took the ground on Friday when they locked horns against India in a dead rubber at Lalabhai Contractor Stadium, Surat. Winning the toss and electing to bat first, South Africa posted a mammoth total of 175-3 in 20 overs, riding on twin half centuries of the opening pair Lizelle Lee (84) and skipper Sune Luus (62). The pair stitched a match winning partnership of 144 against an unusually listless Indian bowling. Having sealed the series, team India decided to test their bench which meant giving rest to pace duo of Shikha Pandey and Pooja Vastrakar and spinner Radha Yadav. The South Africans made the most of the opportunity and handed one of the biggest defeats to the Women in Blue as they fell short of 105 runs.

In reply, India was cheaply bundled out for 70 in 17.3 overs, courtesy an extra ordinary bowling display from the Proteas. Veda Krishnamurthy (26) and Arundhati Reddy (22) were the only two batters to reach a double digit score. The rest of the otherwise formidable Indian batting faltered like a pack of cards. Nadine de Klerk was the standout bowler for South Africa as she struck with 3-18 in her four overs picking key wickets of Smriti Mandhana (5) and Deepti Sharma (2) apart from Arundhati Reddy.

South Africa concluded the six-match T20 series with grace as they managed a solitary win in the final outing. India won the series 3-1, with two games being washed out without a ball being bowled.

The two sides will now head to Vadodara for a three-match ODI series starting October 9.

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Radha Yadav and Harmanpreet Kaur star in India’s win over South Africa in the fifth T20

South Africa’s disappointment in India continued as the visitors failed to get the better of the opposition yet again on Thursday in the fifth T20I that was played at Lalabhai Contractor Stadium, Surat. Winning the toss and electing to field first, the Women in Blue dwindled down the Proteas for a paltry 98-8 in 20 overs. Out of the eight wickets, seven were picked up by the Indian spinners with Radha Yadav leading the pack with 3-23 in her four overs. The South African batters got off to starts however failed to capitalize. Laura Wolvaardt top scored with 17.

Chasing a modest 99 was going to be a cake walk for the strong Indian batting line-up, but the visitors made sure that the Indians did not run away with the game easily. The South Africans kept picking wickets at regular intervals to unsettle Harmanpreet Kaur and co. Shabnim Ismail was the pick of the bowlers striking 2-19 in her four overs. In the end the Women in Blue sailed through winning the match by five wickets with 17 balls to spare. Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur top scored with an unbeaten 34 that included some smooth hits to the fence.  

India take an unassailable lead of 3-0 with one match to go. The sixth and the final T20I will be played at the same venue on Friday.

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India Women seal the T20 series 2-0 against South Africa

In a rain curtailed outing on Tuesday, the Women in Blue pocketed the T20 series 2-0 against South Africa on Tuesday at Lalabhai Contractor Stadium, Surat. Winning the toss and electing to bowl first, the visitors gave away for too many runs than expected as the hosts put on a challenging 140-4 in 17 overs, riding on 15-year old Shafali Verma’s gritty 46 (33) and 19-year old Jemimah Rodrigues’ blistering 33 (22). Among the wickets was Nadine de Klerk who struck with 2-24 in her three overs, with Tumi Sekhukhune and Ayabonga Khaka picking up solitary wicket each.

Chasing 141, the Proteas were reduced to a paltry 89-7 in 17 overs, courtesy Poonam Yadav’s brilliant bowling spell where she picked up 3-13 in her three overs. Radha Yadav was the perfect partner as she chipped in with 2-16 in her three. The Yadav duo spun the web to trap the South Africans, who fell short of 51 runs. Tazmin Brits (20) and Laura Wolvaardt (23) were the only two batters to score in double digits for the visitors.

The two sides meet on Thursday to play the fifth T20 of the six-match series. India lead the series 2-0 with two games being washed out without a ball being bowled.

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Have you hear of a stand-in coin tosser? Australia captain Meg Lanning just introduced one

Australia captain Meg Lanning pulled a rabbit out of the hat when she asked wicket-keeper Alyssa Healy to accompany her to the field for the toss at the North Sydney Oval on Sunday when the hosts took on Sri Lanka in the first T20I.

With a horrific record with the coin toss, Lanning got Healy at the ground for the toss to try her luck. Earlier this month, when the Aussies toured West Indies, Lanning managed just to win just the solitary toss.

At the time of the toss here on Sunday, there was Meg Lanning, Alyssa Healy and Sri Lanka captain Chamari Atapaththu. Healy flipped the coin and won the toss for Lanning. We have heard of a stand-in captain but seldom has anyone heard of stand-in tosser. Alyssa Healy was the stand-in tosser during the first T20I, courtesy Meg Lanning’s poor run with the coin toss.  

Source: Twitter

Harmanpreet Kaur and Deepti Sharma shine in India’s 11-run win over South Africa in the first T20

Riding on Deepti Sharma’s brilliant bowling performance and Harmanpreet Kaur’s strong batting display, Women in Blue managed to sneak in a victory from the jaws of defeat against the Proteas on Tuesday at Lalabhai Contractor Stadium in Surat, Gujarat.

Winning the toss and electing to bowl first, the visitors put up a good show as they restricted the hosts to a gettable 130-8 in 20 overs. For India, the top performer with the bat was its skipper Harmanpreet Kaur who struck a delightful 43 (34) smashing three boundaries and two sixes. 15-year old Shafali Verma who has given the responsibility of opening the batting has to fill in the big shoes of former captain Mithali Raj. However the child prodigy failed to impress as she was outdone by Shabnim Ismail. Verma made her way back to the dugout without troubling the scorers. For the Proteas, Ismail was the pick of the bowlers as she struck with 3-26 in her four overs.

Chasing a modest 131, South Africa would have fancied their chances. However, the strong spinning combination of India trapped the visiting batters in a web thus reducing them to 119 in 19.5 overs. The spin trio of Deepti Sharma, Harmanpreet Kaur and Poonam Yadav picked up eight wickets among them, with pace spearhead Shikha Sharma accounting for the remaining two. Mignon du Preez (59) was the lone warrior in the fight and was just a stone’s throw away from taking her side home.

Overall, it was a thrilling contest between the two sides. The second of the three T20s will be played at the same venue on Thursday.

Two questions that the Indian team might grapple with before the second T20:

1. Should Jemimah Rodrigues open the innings and child prodigy Shafali Verma bat in the middle order?
2. Do the pacers alone have enough gas to run through the opposition's batting line-up if the spinners do not chip in?

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Women's Ashes: England end the Ashes with dignity; Australia hold on to the Ashes yet again

The Women's Ashes was concluded on Wednesday when the two sides locked horns for the one last time at Bristol in the third T20. Apart from academic interest and an opportunity for England to redeem itself the match was a dead rubber. 

Winning the toss and electing to bowl first, Australia reduced England to 139-5 in 20 overs. Lauren Winfield top scored with an unbeaten 26 and was supported well by Katherine Brunt (25 not out) helping England to post a respectable score on board. Jess Jonassen finished with the best figures for the visitors with 1-19 in her four overs.

Chasing 140, the Aussies were dwindled down for 122-8 in 20 overs falling short of 17 runs. Riding on Ellyse Perry's unbeaten 60, the defending champions failed to chase down the target. England put up a solid performance with the ball, courtesy Katherine Brunt and Sophie Ecclestone, who picked up three wickets apiece. 

The Women's Ashes turned out to be a one-sided affair and the mighty Australians defended the Ashes yet again with the points table reading 12-4 in Australia's favour. Australia won the ODI series 3-0, T20 series 2-1, and the one-off test ended in a draw.

 
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