Smriti, Richa take India to series win

New Delhi: Smriti Mandhana (77) and Richa Ghosh (54) led the charge in an emphatic win for India as they defeated West Indies by 60 runs in the third T20I, clinching the series 2-1 at the DY Patil, Navi Mumbai on Thursday.

India’s dominant batting performance saw them post 217/4 — their highest team total in the format after being put to bat.

Skipper Mandhana led from the front after Uma Chetry was dismissed for a duck off Chinelle Henry’s bowling. The elegant southpaw stroked seven boundaries in a row, piling on 30 runs off Henry and then Deandra Dottin. Combining with Jemimah Rodrigues for a 98-run second wicket-partnership, Mandhana brought up her third consecutive T20I fifty off 27 balls.

Rodrigues looked in good rhythm before she was dismissed by Afy Fletcher for 39. After Mandhana’s dismissal for 77, Ghosh took over the carnage, scoring the joint-fastest fifty by a woman — in 18 balls — alongside Sophie Devine and Phoebe Litchfield. She stitched a 70-run partnership with all-rounder Raghavi Bist (31). Ghosh was dismissed on the penultimate delivery of the Indian innings but she had done enough to push India to a mammoth total.

Indian bowlers followed it up with an all-round show as Radha Yadav starred with 4/29. A 37-run partnership between Deandra Dottin (25) and captain Hayley Matthews (22) seemed to turn things in West Indies’ favour before the Indian bowlers chipped in with regular wickets.

Chinelle Henry threatened to take the game away with her clean striking during her 16-ball 43. She built a 34-run partnership with wicket-keeper batter Shermaine Campbell but the Indian bowlers held their nerves. Henry’s departure proved to be decisive as the lower-order could not pull it off leaving West Indies with 157/9 in reply.

This was India’s first series win in T20Is at home in five years. The last time they won was in October 2019 against South Africa.