ENG-W vs IND-W: 3rd ODI Review – India avoid whitewash with a thrilling win
Guided by Mithali Raj’s unbeaten 75 off 86 after Deepti Sharma’s 3/47, India clinched the third and final ODI of the series in Worcester to avoid a 3-0 clean-sweep. Bowling first for the first time in the series, India dismissed England for 219 in a 47-over-a-side contest thanks to rain delaying the start.
Pacer Shikha Pandey got India the early breakthrough as she sent back England’s star opener Tammy Beaumont for a duck before Lauren Winfield-Hill steadied her team alongside skipper Heather Knight in a 67-run stand for the second wicket.
That England lacked the kind of rhythm they showed in the previous two games chasing was largely down to some excellent bowling and sharp fielding from India. Knight’s 46 and Nat Sciver’s 49 were the only performances of note after Winfield-Hill’s departure for 36.
Set 220 to win, India made a steady start courtesy of the openers Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana, who added 46 for the first wicket. England managed to put India under pressure, with Kate Cross, Sarah Glenn and Sophie Ecclestone removing the Indian top-order, but Raj fought in the middle and was assisted well by Harmanpreet Kaur and Sneh Rana, along with whom she was involved in half-century stands for the fourth and sixth wicket, respectively. Her valiant knock ensured to take the team across the line eventually with three balls remaining.
Top Performers of the Match
Mithali Raj (India)
Mithali Raj struck her third consecutive half-century of the series. With India situated 81/3 in 20 overs, the game was hanging in the balance. Although, Raj anchored and stitched two half-century stands to take India home.
Nat Sciver (England)
Sciver top-scored for England and fell only a run short of her half-century thanks to a blinder by Smriti Mandhana in the deep. Sciver struck five boundaries in her 59-ball stay and kept Indians at bay in the middle-overs, ensuring that England had a fighting total on the board.
Key Stats from the Match
Mithali Raj surpassed Charlotte Edwards’ tally of 10,273 runs to become the leading run-scorer in WODIs.
Heather Knight reached the milestone of 3000 runs in WODIs.
What next for the two teams?
The three-match T20I series starts on July 9 in Northampton. The subsequent games will be played in Hove and Chelmsford on July 11 and 15, respectively.
