Watch: Smriti Mandhana takes a stunning catch to dismiss Natalie Sciver on 49
The Indian women's team, boosted by Smriti Mandhana, defeated England in the third ODI and successfully avoided a clean sweep. Skipper Mithali Raj (75*) led the side from the front by playing an unbeaten match-winning knock in the successful chase. Opener Smriti Mandhana (49 off 57 balls) also played a decent knock but missed out on a well-deserved half-century.
Earlier in the first innings, Smriti Mandhana displayed her astute fielding skills by pulling off an outstanding catch in the outfield in Deepthi Sharma's over. Mandhana timed her dive to perfection and completed a clean catch to dismiss a well-set English batter sciver" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Natalie Sciver on 49(in 59 balls).
The English batter was looking in good form at that juncture. Smriti's catch proved to be very crucial for India to break the partnership and slow the run rate in the slog overs. None of the batters after Sciver managed to contribute significantly to England's innings.
The openers Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma (19) gave India a good start by putting on a partnership of 46 off 54 balls for the first wicket. Ironically, after stopping Natalie Sciver from reaching fifty in the first innings, Smriti Mandhana was also dismissed on 49 by LBW in leg-spinner Sarah Glenn's bowling in the second innings. But before getting dismissed, the 24-year old stylish left-hander scored quickly and set a good platform for the middle-order to finish the chase.
The Indian bowlers restricted England to a par score in the first innings and put India ahead in the game
Before the play, the match became a 47 overs per side affair due to a rain interruption. Indian bowlers used the conditions well and restricted the English batters from scoring freely. Deepthi Sharma (3/47) was the pick of the bowlers, with all five other bowlers scalping a wicket each. Sciver (49) and skipper Heather Knight (46) were the top performers for England with the bat.
In the chase, Mithali Raj played the anchor role to perfection and clinically paced the run-chase. When India needed four runs from four balls, the skipper played a cut shot that penetrated through the packed offside field and reached the boundary to finish off the chase on a powerful note.