Smriti Mandhana set-up India’s 154-run chase in the second ODI against West Indies with a 44-run knock off 62 balls. Building on the opener and Deepti Sharma’s efforts, Mithali Raj then guided the team towards the finish line with a sparkling 45 off 51 balls to help seal the series. The hosts beat the visitors by five wickets to take a 2-0 lead in the three-match ODI series in Vijayawada.
Asked to bat first, Deandra Dottin’s 63 complemented by Merrisa Aguilleira (25) had helped West Indies to 153 in the all-important game.
Mandhana then set the tone for the chase with a six off the second ball of the innings. She dismissed Tremayne Smartt over mid-wicket for a six and followed up with two boundaries on the off side as she helped India to 16 runs in the first over.
However, with the team on 23, MD Thriushkamini was declared out for obstructing the field while returning into her crease after being refused a run by Mandhana. The left-handed opener then carried on with Sharma, but 17 runs later survived a hiccup; dropped on 25 by Smartt near mid on.
With the momentum set, the Sharma-Mandhana pair continued to garner runs off the West Indies bowlers with ease. They picked the singles and twos as they built the stand. As they worked their way forward, the opener got another life on 36; let off by Quintyne near deep midwicket off Anisa Mohammed. With a 63-run partnership, the pair had taken the hosts to 86 when Sharma was sent back by Anisa; caught by Hayley Matthews at covers, the No 3 bat returned to the dugout for 32.
Mithali then joined Mandhana in gleaning runs off the visiting side. The captain guided the ball to the fence with her silken touch as she contributed to the flow of runs. She took the team past the three-figure mark with a boundary through fine-leg. And on the last ball of the over, she lofted Anisa over the ropes for a six.
However, with the team on 111, the opener was sent back by Matthews. Attempting another big hit, Mandhana was caught near long off by Dottin off Matthews. With 43 runs still needed, Harmanpreet Kaur joined Mithali in the middle. However, the all-rounder returned after chipping in six runs to the chase.
With quick running between the wickets, Mithali and Veda Krishnamurthy closed in on the target. With four runs needed to win, the captain was sent back by Shakera Selman. Krishnamurthy then took the team across the line with Shikha Pandey.
Earlier, Jhulan Goswami and Pandey claimed the openers to leave West Indies on 20 for two. After the senior bowler had trapped Matthews lbw, her new-ball partner removed Quintyne leg-before wicket four runs later. Hitting the deck hard, the pacers had kept the opposition in check early on.
Kycia Knight then joined captain Stafanie Taylor in an effort to stabilise the innings. Playing watchfully, the West Indies skipper struck a couple of boundaries as they worked to keep the scoreboard ticking. She nicked a Goswami delivery over the slip cordon to collect four, and later drove Pandey through the cover region fence as she took the side to 31 for two in ten overs with Knight.
The West Indians put up a more patient batting performance in their second outing after folding for 133 in the opening game.
Knight who was looking to break the shackles struck Sharma through the square-leg region and then sent Ekta Bisht to the boundary on the off side. However, it was once again the spinners, who gave India a much-needed breakthrough as the partnership for the third wicket threatened to take shape. The left-arm spinner dislodged Taylor’s bails to leave WI on 45 for three.
Knight then looked to stitch a partnership with Dottin, but good piece of fielding by Goswami ran out the No 4 bat 13 runs later. And four runs later, much the dismay of the Indians, Dottin survived while on nine as Harmanpreet missed a tough chance at mid-off, off Sharma. Capitalising on the life, the middle-order bat ensured the visitors batted out their allotted overs and posted a decent score.
She found an able ally in Aguilleira to revive the innings. The wicketkeeper-batswoman who was the mainstay of the line-up in the first game, helped keep the innings together. The pair grafted runs to build the stand and dispatched the ball to the fence whenever the opportunity presented itself. As the partnership blossomed, the pair began to score with ease.
It was once again, Bisht who helped end a partnership. Brought back into the attack she responded by clipping Aguilleira’s bails and ended the stand for 70. However, Dottin carried on and soon brought up her half-century with a single of Gayakwad. As they looked to add quick runs to the total, Shemaine Campabella perished miscuing a delivery from Gayakwad towards point where Bisht took the catch. Off the next ball, Dottin was dropped by Mandhana near mid-wicket on 54.
While there were some good saves, the missed chances turned out to be expensive for India. Dottin took West Indies to 153 until she was bowled off the last delivery of the innings by Goswami.
