ENG-W vs IND-W | Skipper Harmanpreet silences critics with match-winning ton to seal series 2-1
Harmanpreet Kaur surpassed a slew of milestones to bring up a drought-ending century at Chester-le-Street in the third ODI against England on Tuesday, and helped India register a 13-run victory. The visitors managed to defend an imposing total of 318, thereby taking the three-match series 2-1.
Opting to bat first, Indian openers Pratika Rawal and Smriti Mandhana got off to a flying start as the latter set the tempo with three consecutive boundaries early on against Lauren Bell. The duo ended the powerplay unscathed at 54/0 before Charlie Dean finally struck in the 13th over to send Rawal packing for 26 and the brief lull in scoring rates that followed brought Mandhana's wicket too, the vice-skipper falling five short of a half-century. Nevertheless, Harleen Deol and Harmanpreet Kaur restored some stability with a caurious period of play, largely dealing in singles with the occasional four to boast. The 50-run mark in the stand came up in the 27th over, off 58 deliveries, and the boundary rate began increasing with both looking comfortable on a rather docile track. Harmanpreet became just the third Indian woman to cross 4,000 ODI runs in the 32nd over, but the good vibes did not last for much longer as Bell struck out Deol for 45 the very next over to end the burgeoning 79-run partnership. Harmanpreet however remained unfettered to bring up her first ODI fifty this year off 55 balls and with India well set at 198/3 after 40, the stage was set for a death frenzy. Jemimah Rodrigues began the saga by tonking Charlie Dean for three straight boundaries, and then going- back-to-back again in the spinner's final over. Harmanpreet joined the party with three fours in the meantime, before punishing Linsey Smith for 17 runs in the 45th over. Rodrigues brought up her fifty in just 44 balls and Harmanpreet doubled the celebrations with a 82-ball ton in the next over, equalling Mithali Raj's tally of seven to end a 17-match drought. Richa Ghosh added some final touches after Jemimah's departure with a breathtaking 18-ball unbeaten cameo of 38, laced with three boundaries and two maximums to set England a target of 319.
In response, England faltered early as a brilliant new-ball spell by Kranti Goud saw her scalp openers Amy Jones and Tammy Beaumont -- the latter courtesy of a one-handed stunner by Deepti Sharma. Natalie-Sciver Brunt was tasked with surviving the hat-trick ball and while that was dealt it, runs continued to dessert the captain and her partner Emma Lamb. A powerplay blockathon saw them end the 10-over stage at a measly 22/2 with the required run-rate already close to seven and a half. The singles became easier to get though once the field spread and with both batters now settled to score sporadic boundaries, the next 15 overs brought 107 runs as they brought up individual half-centuries. By the time Shree Charani finally struck in the 31st over after Lamb failed to connect with a sweep, the partnership had reached 162 and England stared at a gettable 150 in the final 20 overs. However, the telling blow came four overs later when a great reactionary catch by Richa Ghosh had Sciver-Brunt caught behind for 98, denying the captain a century and making India the clear favourites once again. Nevertheless Sophie Dunkley kept the chase going with good strike rotation, until a mix-up with Alice Davidson-Richards left her stranded on 34 with England still needing 91 off the final 10 overs. Charlie Dean added some impetus with a quick 15-ball cameo of 21, reducing the equation to 55 off the final five with big-hitter Ecclestone only just arriving. However, Charani nullified the threat by holing out the spinner for cheap but Davidson-Richards swayed some momentum back towards the hosts with a slew of boundaries to race to 44 off 34. However, Goud had the final say by dispatching the middle-order batter in the 48th over before completing a fifer by resigning Lauren Filer to a golden duck, leaving India one away from victory. The pacer then fittingly sealed the match on the penultimate ball to end with 6/52, and hand India a second consecutive ODI series win in England having whitewashed the hosts 3-0 in 2022.
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