Indian women’s cricket team who bounced back in the second ODI after suffering a humungous defeat in the first match will be looking to replicate the performance in the third match to take the series lead on Friday.
The Indian bowlers were magnificent in the second ODI under the leadership of Jhulan Goswami who was supported equally by Rajeshwari Gaikwad on the other end to bowl out the South African batting lineup on the meager total of 157 runs which is a below-par score in ODI format.
“It was pretty challenging because I was coming back after a year, and playing a competitive side like South Africa. I was just trying to hit the ball on the right areas,” Goswami had said of her performance.
In response Indian batswomen Smriti Mandhana (80 off 64 balls) and Punam Raut (62 off 89) shared an unbeaten 138-run partnership for the second wicket as Indian women comfortably chased down the target in 28.4 overs.
The rustiness that was apparent in the series-opener was shaken off in the second outing by the host, who seems to have got back its rhythm given the near-perfect performance to outwit the visitor.
However, Goswami form will play an important role in helping the host to win the five-match series against Proteas.
Also, the likes of Rodrigues, Mandhana, and Raut would not be an easy challenge for the visitors.
As Mandhana hit 10 fours during her innings of 80 runs in the second ODI and Raut complemented her beautifully after the latter hit eight fours in the same encounter.
But the Indian women’s team can’t take Proteas lightly as they are one of the strongest teams in every condition.
Let’s have a look at the complete squad for India and South Africa women respectively.
Teams (from): India women: Mithali Raj (captain), Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues, Punam Raut, Priya Punia, Yastika Bhatia, Harmanpreet Kaur, D Hemalatha, Deepti Sharma, Sushma Verma (wicket-keeper), Swetha Verma, Radha Yadav, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Jhulan Goswami, Mansi Joshi, Poonam Yadav, C Prathyusha, Monica Patel.
South Africa women: Sune Luus (captain), Ayabonga Khaka, Shabnim Ismail, Laura Wolvaardt, Trisha Chetty, Sinalo Jafta, Tasmin Britz, Marizanne Kapp, Nondumiso Shangase, Lizelle Lee, Anneke Bosch, Faye Tunnicliffe, Nonkululeko Mlaba, Mignon du Preez, Nadine de Klerk, Lara Goodall, Tumi Sekhukhune.
