BENGALURU:India defeated New Zealand comprehensively by nine wickets to claim the ODI women’s cricket series 3-2 at the Chinnaswamy Stadium here on Wednesday.

The decider was expected to be a close battle but it turned out to be totally one-sided as the home team romped home. The visitors won the toss and decided to bat but were bowled out for a mere 118 in 41 overs. Skipper Susie Bates (42) and Amanda Peterson (22) offered some resistance as Jhulan Goswami, Deepti Sharma and Rajeswari Gayakwad claimed two wickets each. Chasing a moderate target, the Indians were off to a good start as opener Mandhana offered a return catch to MJG Neilsen and it was 18 for 1. But the other opener Thirush Kamani (62 not out) and Deepti Sharma (44 not out) put on 103 runs in an unbroken partnership for the second wicket to steer home to victory in the final game and bag the series.

BCCI President Jagmohan Dalmiya said: “Congratulations to our skipper Mithali Raj on leading the team with distinction and registering a series win against the New Zealand. Team has shown remarkable character to come back from 1-2 to and win the series. BCCI would like to announce a reward of `21 lakh for the team.”

Brief Scores: New Zealand 118 in 41 overs (Suzie Bates 42, Rajeshwari Gayekwad 2/15, Jhulan Goswami 2/17) lost to India 121/1 in 27.2 overs (Thirush Kamini 62 no, Deepti Sharma 44 no).