Match Report: India v WI - 3rd ODI
First Published : 17 Jan 2011, 18:23
Last Modified : 17 Jan 2011, 18:23
Vadodara, Jan 15: The West Indies Women’s team beat India by three wickets in a closely contested match at the Reliance Stadium Vadodara. The visitors now have a 2-1 lead in the five-ODI series.
Chasing a target of 157 runs, the West Indies openers, Stafanie Taylor and Juliana Nero, gave their team a solid start. Taylor’s 46 set the tone for the rest of the innings. Significant double-digit contributions were made by Nero, Merrisa Aguilleira, Stacy-Ann King, Deandra Dottin, Shanel Daley and Shemaine Campbelle.
The West Indies batsmen held their nerve in tense situations - there were a few close calls in the final overs of the match. But in the end, it was a perfect display of team effort by the West Indies players.
Electing to bat first, the Indian middle-order disappointed once again. India were tottering at 80/6 in 38 overs, opener Poonam Raut’s 33 runs the only bright spot in the top-order.
Soniya Dabir, Rumeli Dhar and Amita Sharma lower down the order helped India reach a respectable 156 runs.
Soniya Dabir (19 runs) was able to hit the ball well but just as her partnership with Rumeli Dhar looked good, she was out bowled. At the fall of Dabir’s wicket, Amita Sharma, Dhar’s team-mate from Railways, joined her in the middle.
Amita Sharma was a woman on a mission from the word go. She rotated the strike and kept the scoreboard ticking with singles and hit six fours on her way to her 35 off 33 deliveries. Just as the partnership began to take shape, Dhar was out to Deandra Dottin caught at deep fine leg trying to hit big. She was soon followed by Jhulan Goswami who was out to a fantastic catch by Dottin.
Wickets falling at the other end did not deter Amita Sharma who continued her onslaught. She hit Dottin for three consecutive fours in the 48th over which yielded 14 runs. The second was a wonderful shot over the bowler’s head while the other two were beautifully executed ground strokes.
India looked liked they would bat their full fifty overs before Amita Sharma’s knock ended with a mistimed shot off Taylor that went high in the air and landed safely in the keeper’s gloves.
Once again, West Indies’ fielding was exemplary with their fielders stopping fours with nimble foot-work around the boundary line regularly. Anisa Mohammed, who has been bothering Indian batsmen consistently, picked up the key wickets of Mithali Raj and Harmanpreet Kaur.
With the series now 2-1 in West Indies’ favour, the stage is set for an exciting end over the next two games.
Brief scores: India 156 all out in 48.2 overs (Amita Sharma 35, Poonam Raut 33, Soniya Dabir 19, Anisa Mohammed 2/20, Stafanie Taylor 2/21) lost by three wickets to West Indies 159/7 in 49.2 overs (SR Taylor 46, JB Nero 22, SACA King 20, P Roy 2/ 27, DP David2/33)
India Playing XI: PG Raut, AA Deshpande†, M Raj, H Kaur, P Roy, Soniya Dabir, DP David, R Dhar, A Sharma, J Goswami*,G Sultana
West Indies Playing XI:SR Taylor, JB Nero, S F Daley, SACA King, DJS Dottin, MR Aguilleira*, B Cooper, SA Campbelle, A Mohammed, SC Selman, T Smart,
