It was International Women’s day on 7th march, and everyone was keen on sharing the success stories of the Women in blue and Women in sports along with Women in all fields of life. It was a beautiful thing to see everyone talk about the stories of Women in sports, their journeys and their achievements. The secretary of BCCI also announced a one-off Test match between India and England later this year. It is always good to see that there will be more games for the Women’s team and that we will get to see them play a lot more in a year.
Quick guide:
Match Summary
Team India was playing after a long gap which is not news anymore but to see them make a comeback in the game and get the momentum back was a good sight. India won the toss and chose to field first. With her presence in this game, Mithali Raj registered her 310* ODI game which is also most games in Women’s ODI. She crossed the record of Charlotte Edwards (England) who had played 309 ODI matches.
India restricted South Africa to 157/10 in 41 overs. It was captain Sune Luus (36) and Lara Goodall (49) who built a good partnership in the game. It was rather surprising to see the openers fall so early and the middle/lower order struggling to make runs. It would be concerning for the team as in the last game, their middle order was not tested as the openers play extremely well.
On one side the batting was concerning but we cannot take away from the Indian bowling unit who bowled extremely well. The Jhulan Goswami (10-0-42-4) and Mansi Joshi (7-1-23-2) combination was lethal. Jhulan Goswami picked up 4 wickets and conceded 42 runs, one of the best figures to achieve being a fast bowler at the age of 38! She is also the highest wicket taker in ODI with 231* career wickets in Women’s cricket. Another key bowler in this attack was Rajeshwari Gayakwad (9-0-37-3) who unsettled the SA batting order.
In the second innings, Indian batting unit came out determined and positive. It was seen in the first few overs only when Smriti Mandhana started to find the gaps and time the shots extremely well. Her 80* was not only a match winning knock for India but she also broke some records with that knock. She has now scored the highest runs as an opener in ODI for India with 2094 runs in 54 matches. She also scored 10 consecutive 50+ scores while chasing which makes her the first Indian player to do that (Men and Women combined).
Smriti Mandhana becomes the first player to smash 50+ scores in ten consecutive ODI chases. (Men/Women)
She has scored 50+ runs in every ODI chase starting from 2018. #INDWvSAW #INDvSA
— Sampath Bandarupalli (@SampathStats) March 9, 2021
Joining Mandhana in the winning knock was Punam Raut with a steady and fiery 62*. While the chase was of 158 runs, it still was crucial for the top order to stay longer in the middle to avoid a collapse early on in the game. Punam’s slow start ensured that Smriti could got out and hit the big shots from the other end without any pressure. Punam soon joined the party to hit boundaries putting the SA bowling under pressure and making sure that India got this game on their side.
It was a complete turnaround from the first game. India outplayed SA in all departments this time. M. Kapp (6-1-8-0) and A. Khaka (7-1-23-0) were the key bowlers for SA who were able to slow down the game in the middle overs, restrict the run flow and S. Ismail (6-0-46-1) was the only one to pick an early wicket of Jemimah Rodrigues.
India won the match by 9 wickets! With this win, the series is now levelled 1-1 with three more games to go. It will be exciting to see who gets the next one and takes an upper hand in the series.
Match Learning : Confidence, Belief and Being Aware
Its all about belief and the process. Being aware and in the moment helps to respond better to the situation at hand. Team India did not seem to be dwelling on the loss which also meant they were in for the challenge and to win the game. The shift in mindset from loss to win was also a result of the process and individual’s ability to step out from failures and make it count the next time around.
In the complete turn around of the game, along with techniques, game time and training experience, it was the mindset and the thought process throughout the game that kept them on the toes and play positively. Mithali Raj in her post match interview also mentioned about the way everyone was present in the game and bonding which ensured that they were ready to face the challenge and give their best every minute.
This doesn’t mean South Africa lacked it, they too were in the game but it wasn’t enough and the pressure Team India created on the field was about dominating the game from ball one and not let anything pass by from them. When the intent is strong, belief is present and we are in the moment, we have the power to change the result of the game/ task we are a part of.
Urvi Shah (Author, Beyond the Matches)
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