What happened the last time the Indian women's team played an ODI at Taunton in 2017?
After suffering an 8-wicket defeat in the ODI at Bristol, the Indian women's team will look to get back to winning ways at Taunton on Wednesday. The side still has a long tour left after this game. They will want to gather some momentum by winning at Taunton so they have a chance to level the 3-match ODI series.
The slow run rate in the middle phase was one of the major concerns for the Indian team during the first ODI against the England Women on Sunday. They will look to be more aggressive in the upcoming match and put on a competitive score for the strong English batting line-up to chase.
The Indian batters will have to step up in the upcoming ODI. Mithali Raj's side has good memories of their last match at Taunton, the venue for Wednesday's encounter. The team management will hope the side can take some confidence from the 2017 game at the ground to perform well in the second ODI.
Smriti Mandhana's magnificent hundred helped India beat the West Indies at Taunton in 2017
The Indian team's last ODI match at Taunton took place on June 29, 2017. It was the seventh league game of the ICC Women's ODI World Cup. Mithali Raj's Indian side squared off against the West Indies side in the contest. The Indian skipper won the toss and invited the opponents to bat first.
The spinners dominated the proceedings for Indian Women in the first innings. Deepti Sharma (2/27), Poonam Yadav (2/19), Ekta Bisht (1/23), and Harmanpreet Kaur(2/42) spun a web around West Indies batters and prevented them from scoring runs freely. Due to a collective effort from the Indian bowlers, the West Indies Women managed a total of 183/8 at the end of 50 overs.
Opener Hayley Mathews (43) was the highest scorer in the first innings for the West Indies. Tailenders Shanel Daley (33 in 37 balls) and Afy Fletcher(36* in 23 balls) scored some quick runs to give West Indies some impetus in the death overs.
The Indians faced an early blow in the chase as opener Punam Raut departed off the fifth ball of the first over with zero runs on the scoreboard. Deepti Sharma, who walked into bat at number 3 was then dismissed for six runs after facing 23 balls.
At 33/2 in the 8th over, skipper Mithali Raj joined hands with opener Smriti Mandhana to provide some stability for the Indian innings. The duo put on a match-defining 108-run partnership for the third wicket before Mithali Raj departed after a patient knock of 46 runs in the 34th over.
Mona Meshram (18*) and Smriti Mandhana (106*) helped India chase down the target without any hiccups. Mandhana's flamboyant match-winning century was studded with elegant strokes on both sides of the pitch. She brought up her second ODI century with a stylish boundary courtesy of an inside-out shot over mid-off.
In doing, so Mandhana also became the youngest Indian cricketer to score a century in the ICC World Cup. Mandhana also accounted for the wicket of West Indies skipper Stephanie Taylor with a brilliant direct hit. She was deservedly awarded the Player of the Match for her magnificent showing with the bat and in the field.