The Indian vice-captain displayed her batting mettle, guiding India to a comprehensive six-wicket victory and a 3-0 series clean sweep.
Mandhana’s performance was complemented by efficient contributions from Shafali Verma (25), Priya Punia (28), and Harmanpreet Kaur (42 off 48 balls), as India reached the target of 216 with relative ease, scoring 220 for four in 40.4 overs. South Africa, batting first, managed a modest total of 215 for eight, with their captain Laura Wolvaardt top-scoring with a solid 61 off 57 balls.
In the first innings, the Indian bowlers displayed resilience in restricting South Africa to 215 for eight after the visitors had raced to 102 without loss in 19.5 overs. Wolvaardt and Tazmin Brits (38 off 66 balls) negated the Indian bowlers during their first-wicket partnership, but the dismissals of Wolvaardt and Brits triggered a collapse, with South Africa losing eight wickets for 113 runs.
Arundhati Reddy (2/36) and Deepti Sharma (2/27) were instrumental in applying the brakes on South Africa’s scoring rate, with their disciplined bowling and sharp fielding efforts. Despite a promising start, South Africa’s indiscretions and lack of partnerships ultimately hindered their ability to post a formidable total.
Mandhana’s dominance in the ODI series was evident as she amassed 343 runs at an impressive average of 114.33, narrowly missing out on her third consecutive century. Her composed and graceful batting display at the Chinnaswamy stadium showcased her trademark shots, including swivel pulls, cover drives, straight drives, and late taps that teased the third man fielder.
The Indian vice-captain’s batting partners also played their part, with Shafali contributing 61 runs in 11.5 overs for the opening wicket, and Priya assisting in a 62-run partnership for the second wicket. Harmanpreet’s fluent batting in an unbeaten 54-run stand with Mandhana further solidified India’s chase.
