India women eye series clean sweep against SA

Smriti Mandhana

India were able to tame varied challenges thrown at them by South Africa so far, and they will be eager to take the series to its fitting conclusion of a 3-0 margin during the third and final ODI here on Sunday.

Currently, the margin stands 2-0 in favour of India but that insuperable position has not come without its own trials by fire.

In the first match, the Indian batters had to come back from a perilous 99 for five before making a 260-plus total. The home side bowlers defended the target well too. But in the second game, it was the turn of the Indian bowlers to ace the test that they were subjected to by centurions Laura Wolvaardt and Marizanne Kapp on a placid pitch.

Despite the heavy pounding, they kept their nerves till the last ball of the match to come out on the right side of the result.

However, the common thread across these two matches was the exceptional batting of Smriti Mandhana, who made 117 and 136 in them. Mandhana thus became the first India woman batter to score two successive hundreds in ODIs.

So, the Indian vice-captain will be eager to sign off from the ODI series on a high.

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