South Africa women on Wednesday sealed an emphatic 4-1 series win against the Indian women’s cricket team when they defeated the hosts in the fifth and final ODI five wickets in Lucknow.
Mignon du Preez scored 57, her second consecutive half century, and Anneke Bosch scored 58 as the visitors chased down a target of 189 for the loss of five wickets with 10 balls to spare.
Spinners Rajeshwari Gayakwad and Dayalan Hemalatha gave India hope at the start of the South African chase by picking three wickets in the first 10 overs for just 27 runs at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium. Rajeshwari got the breakthrough in the second over in the form of opener Laura Wolvaardt for a duck and then got Lara Goodall in her very next over.
Hemalatha then sent back South African captain Sune Luus in the 11th over. However, du Preez and Bosch's 96-run stand took the game away from India. du Preez eventually fell to Rajeshwari while Bosch was dismissed by spinner Challuru Prathyusha in the 34th over. Marizanne Kapp and Nadine de Klerk, who had also taken three wickets in the Indian innings, saw South Africa over the line.
Earlier, captain Mithali Raj dragged a stumbling India to a score of 188 with an unbeaten 79 off 104 balls.
While India looked set for a competitive total when Harmanpreet Kaur (30) was in the middle with Mithali, the hosts fell apart after the former retired hurt in the 31st over. Harmanpreet and Mithali put up 71 for the fourth wicket.
Harmanpreet left the field after hitting her third four of the innings. India were 124/3 at the time and the collapse started in the 37th over with the dismissal of Dayalan Hemalatha. They then lost their next six wickets for 52 runs.
The two teams next face each other in a three-match T20I series at the Ekana Stadium which starts on 20 March.
(With IANS Inputs)
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