Internet Desk: Smriti Mandhana scored a brilliant century to help India women register their maiden ODI series win against South Africa women at Kimberly on Wednesday. Mandhana scored a brilliant 135 off 129 balls as Mithali Raj’s team defeated the hosts by a huge margin of 178 runs in the second ODI today. The Indian women team has now taken an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three match series, which is part of the ICC Women’s Championship. Ace fast bowler Jhulan Goswami became the first woman cricketer to take 200 wickets in One Day Internationals.
Indian eves were put into bat first by the hosts. Mandhana, who scored a brilliant half century in the first ODI, played positively from the start. Her innings included 14 hits to the boundary and a huge six. Incidentally, this is Mandhana’s second ODI century against South Africa.had earlier made a 98-ball 84 in India’s 88-run win over South Africa in the first ODI.
Besides Mandhana, Harmanpreet Kaur (55 not out) and Veda Krishnamurthy (51 not out) contributed to India’s total.
Just like the first ODI, Indian bowlers too were clinical in their approach, bowling out South Africa for just 124 runs in 30.5 overs to register yet another massive win.
Leg-spinner Poonam Yadav excelled with the ball for India with figures of four for 24, while left-arm spinner Rajeshwari Gayakwad (2/14) and off spinner Deepti Sharma (2/34) shared four victims between them.
Jhulan Goswami went on to become the first woman cricketer to take 200 wickets in ODI. The 35-year-old Goswami, playing her 166th ODI, achieved the feat when she dismissed opener Laura Wolvaardt for her 200th scalp.
South Africa opener Lizelle Lee was the only successful batswoman for the hosts. She scored 73 runs off 75 balls.
This was the first ODI series win for the Indian women team in the Rainbow Nation. The last time they played a bilateral series here, they lost by a 1-2 margin in 2001-02.
Brief Scores:
India women: 302 for 3 in 50 overs (Smriti Mandhana 135; Sune Luus 1/31).
South Africa women: 124 all out in 30.5 overs (Lizelle Lee 73; Poonam Yadav 4/24).