Deepti stars as India whitewash West Indies 3-0
Having bowled out West Indies for 162 after Deepti's superlative performance and pacer Renuka Singh's (4/29) excellent show with the new ball, India recovered after a top-order wobble to reach the target of 163 in 28.2 overs
PTI
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India were in a spot of bother at 73/4 but Deepti (39 not out in 48 balls) used all her experience to see the team through with plenty of overs remaining. PHOTO: X/@BCCIWomen
Vadodara, 27 Dec
Senior off-spinner Deepti Sharma
did the star turn with career-best figures of 6/31 before doing her bit with
the bat as India completed a 3-0 whitewash of the West Indies with a five-wicket
victory in the final Women's ODI here on Friday.
Having bowled out West Indies for
162 after Deepti's superlative performance and pacer Renuka Singh's (4/29)
excellent show with the new ball, India recovered after a top-order wobble to
reach the target of 163 in 28.2 overs.
India were in a spot of bother at
73/4 but Deepti (39 not out in 48 balls) used all her experience to see the
team through with plenty of overs remaining.
Swashbuckling wicketkeeper-batter
Richa Ghosh was unbeaten on an 11-ball 23 when the winning runs were scored.
Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur, who eased
nerves with two boundaries after last match centurion Harleen Deol's (1)
dismissal left India at 23/2, blazed away to a 22-ball 32 before getting bowled
by Afy Fletcher.
During her breezy knock, Kaur
smashed seven boundaries and looked good for a big one before getting
dismissed.
In-form opener Smriti Mandhana (4)
departed early as Ashmini Munisar completed a strange one-handed catch after
appearing to have misjudged what should actually have been a straightforward
catch off the bowling of Aaliyah Alleyne.
Enjoying a good run of form in
recent times, vice-captain Mandhana did not get to the pitch of the ball on the
day and paid the price.
One-down batter Deol followed suit,
nicking for a Deandra Dottin delivery way outside off-stump and got a faint
edge that was taken by wicketkeeper Shemaine Campbelle.
Middle-order batter Jemimah
Rodrigues chipped in with 29 off 45 balls.
Earlier, Renuka Thakur tormented
West Indies with a fiery opening spell before Deepti got into the act to bowl
out the visitors cheaply.
Thakur and Deepti were relentless
with the ball, taking all 10 wickets between them.
Thakur's accurate line and length
dismantled the top order, while Deepti deceived the West Indies batters with
flight and guile, recording her third ODI five-wicket haul and second
six-wicket performance.
West Indies fought back with a
97-run partnership between Chinelle Henry (61) and Shemaine Campbelle (46),
helping them to cross 160. Without this stand, the visitors might have been
bowled out for less than 100.
Both batted really well and were
aggressive against the spinners.
Apart from Henry and Campbelle,
only Aaliyah Alleyne (21) reached a double digit score as West Indies' batting
woes continued.
Opting to bat first, West Indies'
innings struggled from the onset as Thakur dismissed both openers -- Qian in
the very first ball -- and Hayley Matthews, who scored a century in the last
match, for ducks.
She then claimed the wicket of the
dangerous Deandra Dottin (5).
From there, the show belonged to
Deepti as she took control by spinning a web. West Indies lost wickets at
regular intervals, ending their innings in the 39th over and denting their chances
of securing a consolation win.
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