India clinch cliffhanger to win series against South Africa 3-0

The India Women's cricket team clinched a cliff-hanger against South Africa at Vadodra winning the third and final ODI by a margin of six runs to clean-sweep the series. Opting to bat first, the hosts could manage just a paltry 146 all out in 45.5 overs, but a spirited bowling display from the spinners ensured that the Proteas could not overhaul the target.

On a flat track, the Indians were undone by the pacy deliveries of Shabnim Ismail and Marizanne Kapp, as they lost constant wickets upfront. From 23 for 2 they were reduced to 71 for 6, and were on the verge of getting out for a score of below 100. However, Harmanpreet Kaur combined with Shikha Pandey to stitch together 49 runs for the seventh wicket, which lent some respectability to the innings.

Harmanpreet struck a patient 38 in 76 deliveries, while Pandey was the aggressor in the stand, scoring 35 in 40 deliveries with the help of six boundaries. A vital contribution from Mansi Joshi help India past the 140-run mark.

In the absence of spearhead Jhulan Goswami - rested for this game - the Indian seamers failed to create much of an impact, conceding easy runs. However, the entry of the spinners once again tightened the run flow, as Ekta Bisht and Deepti Sharma along with Rajeshwari Gayakwad got into the act together.

From 31 for 1, the South Africans succumbed to 103 for 6, needing a further 44 runs in 122 deliveries with four wickets in hand. The match, though, was not over for them, and it needed a calm hand to hold one end up and take them over the line. The duo of Kapp and Sune Luss got starts, but their dismissal triggered a collapse, with the Indian slower bowlers bowling nagging lengths to increase the pressure on them.

With runs not easy to come by, the visitors resorted to big hits, but that ploy played into the hands of the Indians, as they scalped the last four wickets to dismiss South Africa for 140.

Brief scores: India Women (Harmanpreet Kaur 38, Marizanne Kapp 3/20) beat South Africa Women (Marizanne Kapp 29, Ekta Bisht 3/32) by 6 runs