INDIA WOMEN'S TOUR OF SOUTH AFRICA, 2018

Clinical India pick up comprehensive win over SA Women

by Cricbuzz Staff • Last updated on

Mandhana's 84 helped India post 213 on the board. © Getty

India Women made a stellar start to their tour of South Africa, kicking it off with a massive 88-run win over the hosts at the Diamond Oval in Kimberley after skittling them out for 125 in 43.2 overs in a chase of 214. The win meant India picked up two points towards the ICC Women's Championship in their first game.

South Africa were never really in the chase on Monday (February 5), being behind the required run-rate from the onset and losing their top order up front. They were reduced to 57 for 5 with Shikha Pandey accounting for three of those. Skipper Dane van Niekerk resisted the Indian attack with a patient 41 off 87, but with wickets tumbling at the other end, it was hard for her to make a game out of it. South Africa's run-rate slipped below the three-run mark while the required rate soared well over 9.

Opener Laura Wolvaardt was patient at the top as South Africa encountered a mini collapse for a hard-fought 21, but she fell to Poonam Yadav, being only the fourth batter in the innings to have entered double digits with Sune Luus being unbeaten on 21. Marizanne Kapp added a brisk 23, but that was all about what South Africa could come up with on the day as Jhulan Goswami ran through the lower-order and returned 4 for 24 while Pandey had 3 for 23.

After opting to bat, India got off to a slow start with openers Smriti Mandhana and Punam Raut putting on just 25 in eight overs. Ayabonga Khaka gave South Africa the breakhrough in the 15th over, but Mandhana went on to raise another half-century and upped the momentum of the innings. She even looked set to get to her century, en route to adding 99 runs with skipper Mithali Raj, but fell for 84 off 98 - an innings that comprised of eight fours and a six. Raj fell four balls after Mandhana's exit, for 45, and Veda Krishnamurthy was caught short of her crease after three overs.

The wickets brought about a drop in the run-rate as India were faced with a collapse of their own, being reduced from 154 for 1 to 196 for 7. Sushma Verma's 15 and Harmanpreet Kaur's 16 nudged India towards the 200-run mark, and the tail chipped in with handy runs to take them to 213. Kapp was the pick of the South African bowlers conceding just 26 in her 10 overs with two wickets against her name.

Brief scores: India Women 213/7 in 50 overs (Smriti Mandhana 84, Mithali Raj 45; Marizanne Kapp 2-26, Ayabonga Khaka 2-47) beat South Africa Women 125 in 43.2 overs (Dane van Niekerk 41; Jhulan Goswami 4-24, Shikha Pandey 3-23) by 88 runs.

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