IND-W vs SA-W: Top five performers from the India-South Africa ODI series
Indian women’s team returned to international cricket after a year, but they would be going home with some disappointing results. Ahead of the three-match T20I series, there will be lots of planning to do for them. South Africa women’s team, on the other hand, scripted a historic series win when they won the fourth match. With a five-wicket win in the final match, they took home the series 4-1, embarrassing the Indian team on their home soil.
Here are the top 5 performers of the IND-W vs SA-W ODI series:
5. Rajeshwari Gayakwad (8 wickets @ 20.25)
2⃣-2⃣-0⃣-2⃣! ??
What a start this is from Rajeshwari Gayakwad! ??
Smiles galore in the #TeamIndia camp as the left-arm spinner scalps two wickets in her first two overs. ?? @Paytm #INDWvSAW
Follow the match ? https://t.co/HGSBgKF68c pic.twitter.com/3PKY2VSqbJ
— BCCI Women (@BCCIWomen) March 17, 2021
The left-arm spinner has shown almost all of her bowling skills during the course of the series. Her figures of 3 for 37 in the second match helped India restrict the South Africa team to a low score. Gayakwad’s spell in that match eventually helped India to win their only match in this series. She bowled another brilliant spell in the final match, where she ended with 10-4-13-3. Unfortunately, her tight spell couldn’t bail India out of trouble in that match either. Her economy during the series was 3.56, which is a reflection of her tremendous work to keep things tight in the middle overs.
4. Jhulan Goswami (8 wickets @ 17.12)
The veteran was seen in action after a long time. But not a single spell she bowled during the series made anyone doubt her skills, even at 38. She bowled economically throughout the series, but lack of support from other bowlers let her down. In the second match, she bowled an outstanding spell of 4 for 42. Ending with only four wickets in the other four matches would definitely disappoint a player of her calibre. However, her economy of 3.51, will be one of the big takeaways for the Indian team in this series.
3. Shabnim Ismail (7 wickets @ 28.57)
150 wickets for Shabnim Ismail in WODIs. Only the 7th bowler to achieve this feat and the 1st South African #INDWvSAW
— Thilak Ramamurthy (@Thilak_Rama) March 14, 2021
Shabnim Ismail has been a consistent performer, playing the role of the lead bowler for the South African team for some time. Just like Jhulan and Gayakwad in this series, she also didn’t get a lot of support from other bowlers on several occasions. But, on this Indian tour, she would be extremely proud of her performance. She chipped away with crucial top-order wickets, handling the new ball beautifully. All this has helped her side punch above their weight and get this series under their belt.
2. Punam Raut (263 runs @ 87.66)
Punam Raut featured in an ODI match for India for the first time in this series since November 2019. However, it was quite clear that the batswoman had worked really hard on her skills when she was away from the field. In the five matches, she notched up 263 runs, with a century and two fifties. Her strike rate of 71.66 during the series was put into question but unlike her peers, she kept chunking important runs. Batting at no.3 has also allowed her to anchor the innings in her own way, but only time will tell if this move would be a profitable one in the longer run.
1. Lizelle Lee (288 runs @ 144.0)
Sensational knock of 132not out ?by Lizelle Lee as South African team wins 3rd ODI ?
— Sunandan Lele (@sunandanlele) March 12, 2021
Lizelle Lee will return to her country with her head held high. At the time, when South African cricket is on its way down, the women’s team allowed them to gain some confidence on the international stage. Her unbeaten knock of 132 in the third game helped her side get home by just a little and had it not been for her attacking batting display after reaching the hundred, rain would have made her side lose the match. She further scored two more fifties, which also came in match-winning outcomes. Her strike rate of 86.22 was one of the big deciding factors in this series, given how critics have complained about India’s defensive batting approach.
