Deepti Sharma’s all-round performance (6 for 31 and 39), alongside Renuka Thakur’s 4 for 29 helped India sweep the West Indies in Vadodara, with a five-wicket victory in the third and final ODI on Friday (December 27). Thakur made the early breakthroughs before Chinelle Henry’s fifty, and Deepti then raced through the middle and lower order to clinch her second career six-fer. Chasing the West Indies’ 162, India lost a few wickets early on, but big contributions from the middle order helped the hosts to a comfortable finish.
In the first day of the three-match series, West Indies captain Hayley Matthews stunned everyone by batting first. Thakur got the ball going with two strikes in her first over, sending back both West Indies openers without scoring. Qiana Joseph gloved the opening ball of the game, and Matthews was cleaned up at the end of the over. Deandra Dottin then fell to Thakur’s third in-swinging delivery of the series, departing for 5, reducing the visitors to 9 for 3 in five overs.
Henry got a life even before she could start her account, and she went on to form a 91-run stand with Shemaine Campbelle to revive the West Indies’ chances. The pair batted cautiously at first, but gradually gained confidence against India’s two inexperienced spinners, Priya Mishra and debutant Tanuja Kanwar. Deepti was also temporarily in the firing line, but she eventually supplied the much-needed breakthrough her team required as Campbelle attempted to slog a slower one down the ground and was caught at long-on.
Zaida James was in and out quickly, but Aaliyah Alleyne put up some opposition. Henry reached a 62-ball fifty by the conclusion of the 28th over, but was quickly cleaned up by Deepti, resulting in another minor collapse. From 141/5, the visitors lost their last five wickets for a total of 21 runs. Deepti collected four of them, including her third fifer with Afy Fletcher’s departure in the wicket-maiden 36th over. Her sixth came in the following over, and Thakur caught Mandy Mangru at cover to bowl West Indies out for 162 in just 38.5 overs.
The West Indies also produced early problems with the ball for India. Dottin was sharp with the new ball, sending down 17 dots in her first three overs, while Smriti Mandhana scored the solitary run with a boundary off the 12th delivery she faced. Alleyene, on the other end, struck early, having the in-form Mandhana walk back cheaply. Harleen Deol, Centurion in Game 2, was Dottin’s first wicket at the start of the seventh over.
Harmanpreet Kaur, on the other hand, had different plans, as evidenced by twin boundaries in her first three deliveries to complete the deal. She remained merciless to Dottin, hitting three more boundaries off her to propel India past 50 runs in the ninth over. The skipper scored a fast 22-ball 32, but wickets in short succession left India needing to rebuild once more.
Deepti Sharma and Jemimah Rodrigues joined forces at 73/4 to form a 56-run partnership for the fifth wicket, putting India’s pursuit back on track. The pair appreciated the nice balls and scored primarily in ones and twos to keep the scoreboard ticking. Rodrigues left against the run of play on 29 after sweeping a Karishma Ramharack delivery to square leg. That brought Richa Ghosh to the crease, and in her trademark manner, the Indian wicketkeeper sent a slogsweep off Matthews over midwicket for a maximum. From there, the duo dealt largely in boundaries, including two consecutive sixes from Fletcher, as Ghosh and Deepti led India to victory in only 28.2 overs with her fast 11-ball 23 not out.
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