India Women continued their dominant performance in the ongoing tri-nation series with a thrilling 15-run victory over South Africa Women on Tuesday, April 29, at R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo. After opting to bat first, India posted a competitive total of 276/6 in their 50 overs, thanks to a standout performance by Pratika Rawal, who scored an impressive 78 runs off 91 balls. South Africa, in their chase, could only manage 261 runs, being bowled out in 49.2 overs. India's victory was largely attributed to the stellar bowling of Sneh Rana, who claimed her maiden five-wicket haul in ODIs, finishing with 5/43.
South Africa’s chase was propelled by a sensational century from opener Tazmin Brits, who scored 109 off 107 balls. However, her efforts were in vain as the rest of the batting order fell short, and India’s bowlers, especially Sneh Rana, turned the game in their favor.
South Africa's chase got off to a solid start with a massive 140-run partnership between Tazmin Brits and Laura Wolvaardt, who scored 43 off 75. The pair provided the foundation for South Africa’s chase, with their 50-run stand coming off just 42 balls. But as the game seemed to tilt in South Africa's favor, Deepti Sharma broke the partnership by dismissing Wolvaardt LBW, and soon after, India’s bowlers began to tighten their grip.
Sneh Rana was introduced by captain Harmanpreet Kaur, and she delivered with crucial wickets. Rana removed Lara Goodall cheaply for 9 (11 balls), and wickets continued to fall for South Africa. Sune Luus (28 off 34) and Chloe Tyron (18 off 22) also failed to make an impact and were dismissed by Arundhati Reddy and Nallapureddy Charani. Despite a valiant effort from Tazmin Brits, who reached her century off 103 balls, she had to retire hurt at 108 after suffering from cramps.
At 236/4 in the 45th over, South Africa was in a strong position, needing just 41 runs off the last five overs with six wickets in hand. However, Sneh Rana delivered an extraordinary spell, picking up four wickets in her last two overs, including the all-important scalp of Tazmin Brits, whose departure was the turning point in the game. South Africa was eventually bowled out for 261, handing India a narrow 15-run victory.
Earlier, India’s innings got off to a brilliant start with an opening partnership of 83 runs between Pratika Rawal and Smriti Mandhana off 111 balls. Mandhana, who scored 36 off 54 balls, was dismissed by Annerie Dercksen, but Rawal continued to dominate. Rawal notched up her fifth consecutive 50-plus score in ODIs, reaching her half-century in 58 balls. She was well-supported by Harleen Deol, who made a valuable contribution of 29 off 47 balls, with the two adding 68 runs for the second wicket.
However, Rawal fell just short of her second ODI hundred, being dismissed for 78 (91 balls) by Nonkululeko Mlaba. This triggered a mini-collapse as Harleen Deol was dismissed for 29, leaving India at 154/3 in 32.3 overs. But captain Harmanpreet Kaur (41* off 48) and Jemimah Rodrigues (41 off 32) steadied the innings with a 59-run partnership in 58 balls.
Some late contributions from Richa Ghosh (24 off 14), Deepti Sharma (9 off 8), and Kashvee Gautam (5* off 6) ensured India posted a competitive total of 276/6 in their allotted 50 overs.
This victory, following their earlier win against Sri Lanka by nine wickets, solidified India's position at the top of the points table in the tri-nation series. The win highlighted India’s all-round strength, with contributions from both batters and bowlers, and Sneh Rana’s match-winning five-wicket haul was the standout performance of the game.
