The visitors, India, suffered their first defeat of the ongoing Tri-nation series courtesy of the home side Sri Lanka getting over the line by 3 wickets in the 4th game of the series at the R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo.
The Harmanpreet Kaur-led side was up against South Africa in the 5th game of the Tri-Nation series at the R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo. South Africa, having lost both their previous games, found themselves in a must-win situation to keep their campaign alive in the series. The Proteas suffered a massive setback as their regular skipper, Laura Wolvaardt, was ruled out of the contest against India due to illness. Chloe Tryon stepped in as the stand-in skipper in her absence.
Both sides made a few changes to their sides. South Africa made three changes: Miane Smit replaced Laura Wolvaardt, Nondumiso Shangase replaced Ayabonga Khakha, and wicket-keeper batter Sinalo Jafta replaced Karabo Meso in the starting 11. As far as India is concerned, Amanjot Kaur replaced Kashveee Gautam, and Shuchi Upadhyay replaced Arundhati Reddy in the starting 11 for the Harmanpreet Kaur-led side.
Jemimah Rodrigues and Deepti Sharma power India to a massive total
The South African new-ball bowlers got them off to a brilliant start, sending Pratika Rawal and Harleen Deol back to the pavilion inside the first three overs, reducing India to 18/2 in the 3rd over, after the stand-in skipper Chloe Tryon won the toss and opted to bowl first. Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur joined Smriti Mandhana at the crease, and the duo tried to counter-attack with a brisk 32-run partnership for the 3rd wicket.
Annerie Dercksen got the big scalp of the opposition skipper Harmanpreet Kaur (28 off 20 balls), who was looking in lethal rhythm at the crease, to provide the crucial 3rd breakthrough for the Proteas in the 7th over of the innings. Jemimah Rodrigues joined opening batter Smriti Mandhana at the crease, and the pair took India closer to the 150-run mark with a much-needed 88-run partnership for the 4th wicket.
Smriti Mandhana (51 off 63 balls) completed her 31st ODI half-century before she was dismissed by the stand-in skipper Chloe Tryon to provide the 4th breakthrough for her side in the 24th over of the innings. Deepti Sharma was promoted to number 6, joined Jemimah Rodrigues at the crease, and the duo switched gears, adapting a proactive approach while assessing the conditions on offer as they stitched a massive 122-run partnership for the 5th wicket, which took India past the 250-run mark.
Masabata Klaas ended Jemimah Rodrigues’ (123 off 101 balls) threatening stay at the crease to provide the crucial 5th breakthrough for South Africa in the 43rd over of the innings. She completed her 2nd century in the ODI format, while also registering her career-best score in the format. India eventually posted a massive total of 337/9 in their quota of 50 overs, courtesy of a late flourish from wicket-keeper batter Richa Ghosh (20 off 12 balls) and Deepti Sharma (93 off 84 balls), who fell just seven runs short of her well-deserved century.
Nadine de Klerk (9-0-54-2), Masabata Klaas (8-0-51-2), and Nonkululeko Mlaba (8-0-71-2) picked up a couple of wickets each, while Annerie Dercksen (6-0-36-1) and stand-in skipper Chloe Tryon (8-0-46-1) were impressive with the ball for South Africa.
Fifties from Annerie Dercksen and Chloe Tryon in vain as South Africa exit
Chasing a massive target of 338, South Africa lost the wicket of their opening batter Lara Goodall in the 2nd over of the run chase. Amanjot Kaur provided the first breakthrough for India. Maine Smit, making her ODI debut, joined Tazmin Brits at the crease, and the duo led the recovery with a much-needed 63-run partnership for the 2nd wicket. Amanjot Kaur returned and broke the stand, by sending Tazmin Brits (26 off 42 balls) back to the pavilion in the 15th over of the run chase to provide the 2nd breakthrough for her side.
Miane Smit (39 off 54 balls) soon followed her back to the pavilion to provide the 3rd breakthrough for India in the 19th over of the run chase. Annerie Dercksen yet again tried her best to keep the run chase alive, stitching crucial partnerships of 70 runs for the 4th wicket alongside Nondumiso Shangase (36 off 36 balls), and a brisk 72-run partnership for the 6th wicket alongside the stand-in skipper Chloe Tryon. She completed another inspiring, consecutive half-century (81 off 80 balls), before she was cleaned up by Amanjot Kaur in the 46th over of the innings to provide the 6th breakthrough for India.
Chloe Tryon (67 off 43 balls) was partnered by Nadine de Klerk (22* off 13 balls), and the pair flexed their muscle in their bid to take the Proteas over the line, stitching a quick-fire 51-run partnership for the 7th wicket. Chloe Tryon completed her 12th ODI half-century before she was cleaned up by Deepti Sharma in the final over of the run chase. South Africa were eventually restricted to 314/7 in their quota of 50 overs, falling 23 runs short of the target.
Amanjot Kaur (9-0-59-3), Deepti Sharma (10-0-57-2), and Shree Charani (10-0-58-1) were the standout performers with the ball for India, while the debutant Shuchi Upadhyay (9-0-59-0) and the veteran Sneh Rana (7-1-53-0) were impressive with the ball for their side.
Jemimah Rodrigues was awarded the Player of the Match for her sensational match-winning century (123 off 101 balls), playing an instrumental role in helping India book their spot in the final of the Tri-Nation Series in Sri Lanka.
