The recipe of Growth is patience and trust in the process || Team India stomp to a win against England || 3rd ODI July- 2021

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India vs England – 3rd ODI Women

It was the final ODI of the series. What started as a far from finish line in first game to being close to winning one in the second, the game was much anticipated to see if Team India is able to cross the line this time around. They were growing and improving each game and we had a lot to witness about their process in the last ODI of the series.

Team England was ahead in the point system after securing 2 wins in the 3-match series and 2 points from the Test match which ended in a draw. They had a lead of 4 points where as India was only able to secure 2 points from the draw. In order to keep them alive in the tour, it was important for the Women in Blue to win this game.

Also read: Tough fight but a sad result for Team India

Match Summary

Rain had delayed the game and was then reduced to 47 overs each side for a result. In such scenarios, both teams would like to win the toss. Not a surprise to see both the teams going with the same squad in the last game. This indicated that Team India was looking to back their players and cross the finish line this time around and Team England was going ahead with the winning combination.

3rd ODI indeed was full of surprises for Indian fans as Team India won the toss (first time in the tour) and elected to bowl first. While the previous two games had highlighted the concern of batting first and putting up a target, winning this toss ensured that India was playing confidently. A team that loves to chase.

The game began with a lot of energy and positive mindset with cheers from audience and the girls making sure to put pressure early on in the game. Through the 3 games, the fielding was improving as the Indian fielders were giving their best on field. Team England, however, was pushed on backfoot with Shikha Pandey (8-0-42-1) getting an early breakthrough for India as Tammy Beaumont was dismissed for 0. This indeed indicated that the team was aiming for a win and were going to do all it would take to do so.

Heather Knight (46) and Lauren Winfield-Hill (36) started to build a steady partnership and kept the scoreboard moving. Soon Winfield-Hill was dismissed by Sneh Rana (7-0-31-1). The Indian bowling department was performing to their best. They were picking up wickets time to time and not letting any batters settle on the crease. An amazing fielding effort from Smriti Mandhana put a halt to the Natalie Sciver masterclass as she was dismissed for 49.

Only batters to score above 30 runs for Team England were Knight, Winfield-Hill and Sciver. Kate Cross’ quick fire 16 towards the end and Sophia Dunkley’s 28 helped England put a good total on board. The fielding had improved a lot for the Indian side. The diving, saving runs and picking up wickets to bowl out England for 219 in 47 overs put India in a good position. Deepti Sharma was the pick of the bowlers who conceded 47 runs and picked up 3 wickets in her 10-over spell.

The Indian innings was much nervy with Shafali dismissed by Cross for 19 (29) early in the game. Smriti and Jemimah could not build a strong partnership as Jemimah was dismissed for 4 (21) leading to a fair amount of pressure on the middle order. After Smriti was dismissed for 49, the onus was now on the middle order and the captain to take the team through. While Captain Mithali Raj and Vice-Captain Harmanpreet Kaur looked all set to go for the big chase, India lost Harmanpreet to lbw, leaving fans with questions about how the team would chase the target from there.

Wickets kept falling on the other end and the captain was expected to play the captain’s knock and take the team to a win. With Sneh Rana on the other end, Mithali had started to play on the attack and leave the anchor role. Ecclestone was the pick of the bowlers here to break the building partnership and was successful as she dismissed Sneh Rana for 24 (22).

The game went for a nail-biting end with the veterans Mithali Raj and Jhulan Goswami who we fondly know as #MilJhul were on the crease probable playing their last game in England with 6 runs needed in 6 balls and another veteran Katherine Brunt bowling the last over of the match!

1,1,4 and India won the game!

From being far away from the finish line in 1st ODI to being so close to a win in 2nd ODI to winning the 3rd ODI, India’s progress as a team has just got better and better. It can be said that the recipe of Growth is patience and trust in the process!

While on one end Mithali Raj kept playing her role to the best ability, the game on the other end still remains a concern for Team India. While there are areas to work on but the progress and improvement as a unit has been amazing.

England won the series 2-1 and have a lead of 2 points. (India – 4, England- 6)

Watch the highlights here: 

Key Takeaway
  1. Staying calm under pressure and believing in your strength will help you to perform better under tense situations.
  2. Patience and trust in your team members as a leader/captain plays an important role in encouraging them to perform to their best abilities.
  3. One should not write-off experience in exchange of talent alone. Talent backed with experience helps the team to maintain the balance and perform well.
  4. Your story need not be all about glories in the eyes of the world but the little things that you do right and contribute to your best in team-based work/event/sport, sets the stage for you to grow.
  5. Growth happens daily, every game, every innings but one has to be patient and trust the process of it. It maybe a subtle growth but it is still growth.
Stats and records
  • It was Kate’s 1st ODI 6 which she hit off Deepti Sharma.
  • This was Amy Jones’ 50th ODI
  • This game also marked Sophie Ecclestone’s 5 years in Intl Cricket.
  • Mithali Raj became the highest run scorer in Women’s cricket with 10,337* followed by Charlotte Edwards (10,273).
  • Mithali Raj also made a record of most wins as a captain in Women’s ODI – 84*.