NAVI MUMBAI: When it mattered, the India ladies’s staff got here to the celebration.
Thoroughly entertaining a large, report crowd of 47, 204 on the DY Patil Stadium right here on Thursday night time within the series decider in opposition to the West Indies by placing on a scientific present with the bat and ball and lager taking a ‘successful lap’ across the floor. , India coasted to a morale-boosting 60-run win within the third and ultimate T20I. Reeling after the three-0 thrashing by the hands of the Aussies within the away ODI series earlier this month, the hosts now go into the ODI series in Baroda from Dec 22 having downed the 2024 Women’s T20 World Cup semifinals 2-1 within the T20I legs.
Using her bat like a sledgehammer, dashing ‘keeper-batter Richa Ghosh equaled the report for the quickest half-century (54, 21b, 3×4, 5×6), whereas stand-in-captain Smriti Mandhana slammed her third consecutive fifty (77, 47b, 13×4, 1×6), breaking the report for scoring probably the most T20Is. runs in a calendar yr, as India plundered their manner to 217 for 4 in 20 overs after being requested to take first strike.
It is India’s highest-ever complete on this format. There have been additionally helpful contributions by Jemimah Rodrigues (39, 28b, 4×4), who added 98 in 55 balls for the second wicket with Mandhana, and younger batter Raghvi Bist (31 not out, 22b, 2×4, 1×6), who was spectacular whereas taking part in simply her second worldwide recreation.
After bulldozing West Indies with the bat, the Indian ladies’s staff fielded like tigresses and bowled fantastically, as West Indies crumbled with the bat and have been restricted to 157 for 9 in 20 overs, with solely Chinelle Henry (43, 16b, 3×4, 4×6) placing up some combat.
Much to India’s delight, the guests misplaced skipper Hayley Matthews (22), who had blasted 85 not out off 47 balls to vogue West Indies’ win within the final match, within the eight over, when she was caught by Sajeevan Sajana at long- off off Radha Yadav.
It was a superb comeback by India after they have been mauled by 9 wickets by the guests within the second T20I on the identical venue on Tuesday. With Ghosh and Mandhana, who cracked seven boundaries in a row within the first 4 overs, going beserk, West Indies’ veteran seamer Deandra Dotti, who had taken 2-14 in 4 overs within the final match, ended up conceding 54 in 4 overs. on Thursday night time. In the fourth over, Mandhana took 20 off Dottin-three fours and a wonderfully-timed six over broad lengthy-off.
Off-spinner Karishma Ramharack, one other spectacular bowler for the Caribbeans, went for 44-0 in three overs.
Looking like she was out to have a celebration on the expense of the clueless-trying West Indies bowlers the second she walked in to bat within the fifteenth over, Ghosh, who’s amongst probably the most harmful finishers, teed off from the primary ball she confronted. , pumping a six over lengthy-off to Deandra Dottin. The 21-yr-previous then sliced the following ball for a 4, after which within the subsequent over, lofted Aaliyah Alleyne to the cow nook.
In a murderous temper, she pulled Alleyne for a six to deep sq. leg, after which thumped West Indies captain Hayley Matthews for back-to-back sixes within the nineteenth over-a slog sweep whereas happening on one knee adopted by a pull off a protracted hop to deep sq. leg. With the gang chanting ‘Richa, Richa’ as she stored producing one large blow after one other, a fired-up Ghosh reached her fifty – now the quickest together with New Zealand’s Sophie Devine and Australia’s Phoebe Litchfield – by clubbing an Alleyne supply for a six. within the ultimate over.
Has any Indian batter, or any batter in world cricket, been in additional smashing type than Mandhana has been in 2024 in white-ball cricket within the ladies’s recreation? The elegant left-hander is now the highest run-getter in T20Is this yr, with 763 runs underneath her belt in 23 matches @42.38, with eight fifties. No one has scored extra runs in T20Is in 2024. She has stroked 100 fours this yr-once more a report. Apart from all this, the extremely-constant left-hander has hit 4 lots of this yr-probably the most by anybody.
Coming off scores of 54 off 33 balls & 62 off 41 balls within the first two T20Is, Mandhana, raining boundaries on either side of the wicket, arrange the bottom from which Ghosh launched India’s complete previous 200. India suffered an early blow when opener. Uma Chetry was out for a duck within the first over.
