India 358 for 5 (Deol 115, Rawal 76, Mandhana 53, Rodrigues 52) won West Indies 238 (Matthews 106, Campbelle 38, Mishra 3-49, Rawal 2-37, Deepti 2-40, Sadhu 2-42) by 115 runs
The game witnessed two majestic hundreds, from Harleen Deol and Hayley Matthews. While Deol was supported by three other half-centurions in the Indian innings, Matthews had none. And that in a monumental chase of 359 just wasn’t enough.
The end result was another one-sided fight that gave India the ODI series with one match remaining, but it was also one in which the West Indies showed much more fight than they did two nights ago. They almost went over 50 overs to take something away from a competition that they never seemed to command at any time.
West Indies’ response to India’s 358 for 5 (their highest ODI total) was cautious. They bowled three maidens in the first seven overs, two of them for Renuka Singh, who had ruined their top order with a swing to finish with five in the first ODI. He underlined the West Indies approach for much of their innings: survival over the flamboyance they are known for.
As the innings progressed, it became apparent how wide the gulf was between Matthews and the rest of his batsmen, who hardly seemed to trust their defense and batted long enough against an Indian attack that boasted some variety that will give them a welcome headache. They advance in a World Cup year. Only Deandra Dottin can claim to have received a gem she had no answers for when Renuka pierced her inside edge to flatten the stumps with a magnificent in-ducker.
Mathews aside, the only other appearance of a West Indies fight came from wicketkeeper Shemaine Campbelle, who made 38 in a fifth-wicket stand worth 112. Matthews was brutal in her attack on the off-spinners. India, especially Priya Mishra, whom he read hand in hand and off the field. Against the beat, he would quickly pounce on anything short or wide. However, it was not until he crossed 70 that he began to show his full range of strokes, eventually reaching his seventh ODI hundred off 99 balls. But Matthews’ century only served to reduce the margin of defeat.
The story of the day, however, was Deol. Having been on crutches, recovering from a knee injury until five months ago, she repaid the confidence the team management had in her by hitting her first international hundred from number 3. Dottin dropped it at 20 in the square stretch, Deol made them pay. He slowly built up to a half-century, getting there in 62 balls, but shifted gears seamlessly in the final overs to add to his century in 98 balls.
In Jemimah Rodrigues, he found an able ally as the pair put together a quickfire 116-run stand off just 71 deliveries for the fourth wicket in a partnership in which they attempted to fire on every ball. Rodrigues was outstanding against spin, rising inside-out over cover, plying pitched deliveries beyond short fine leg or swinging back to pull. Along the way, he showed his versatility to accelerate as comfortably as he had built the entries. The reward was a half-century off 34 deliveries, before she came out to attempt a waist-high full delivery.
Deol fed off that energy, as well as the confidence of spending time in the area. In all, India scored 184 in the last 20 overs, compared to the 160 they scored two nights ago. That they have achieved this with Richa Ghosh contributing only 13 unbeaten should give them a lot of encouragement.
Deol’s knock was preceded by a second consecutive opening position from Smriti Mandhana and newcomer Pratika Rawal, which looked somewhat like the jittery version of her debut on Sunday. He came out looking to score quickly. There wasn’t much swing to offer, and Rawal impressed with his intent and strokeplay to set the foundation for India’s innings after they elected to bat.
At the other end, Mandhana, who became the highest run-getter in women’s ODIs this year, simply continued from where she left off in the series opener. He showed more than just traces of brute strength in muscular spinners. Rawal was comfortably outpacing Mandhana until the final over, but it didn’t take long for the Indian vice-captain to catch up to her, before overtaking her to score a 29th half-century and her second in a row of the series off just 44 balls. A ball later, the opening pair raised their century position.
Rawal soon caught up to his maiden half-century, but missed a great opportunity to turn it into a maiden international century, when he suffered a soft dismissal on 76. But by taking two wickets and sending down some tight overs, and with an excellent Trapped inside the ring, Rawal had a day that neither she nor the team management will quickly forget, not even after having a role in the exit of Mandhana, who instead of getting angry gave her a pat of encouragement as she walked back. .
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