Visakhapatnam: Richa Ghosh produced a masterclass in how to build an ODI innings, scoring a 76-ball 94, and with Sneh Rana coming up with a blazing cameo as India posted a challenging 251 all out against South Africa in Match 10 of the ICC Women’s ODI World Cup here on Thursday.
Coming in to bat with India reeling at 102/6, Richa blasted 11 fours and four sixes and raised 88 runs for the eighth wicket with Sneh to help India recover and post a fighting total. Richa scored the highest score by a batter coming at No.8 and gave the bowlers a total they could defend.
With brilliant hitting, wicketkeeper batter Richa and Sneh turned the tide in India’s favour as South Africa made hara-kiri of their bowling and fielding, putting down a few catches as Richa and Sneha fought back brilliantly. Richa virtually lifted India on her shoulders, absorbing the early pressure and then blasting some brilliant shots as India raised 98 runs in the last 10 overs.
Asked to bat first, Smriti Mandhana and Pratika Rawal gave India a good start, posting the best power-play score for the hosts in the World Cup, scoring 55 for no loss in the first 10 overs.
While Smriti was a bit circumspect following her twin failures so far, she managed to hit one four and India’s first six of the match, jumping down the pitch to hoist Ayabonga Khaka over her head. But got out attempting another big one just after the mandatory Power-play.
Her partner Pratika Rawal (37 off 56) added 28 runs with Harleen Deol before she too departed, picked by Tazmin Brits off Tumi Sekhukhune for another soft dismissal.
Harleen (13 off 23), skipper Harmanpreet Kaur (9), Jemimah Rodrigues (0) and Deepti Sharma all departed in quick procession to the dressing room as India slumped from 55 for no loss at the end of the 10th over to 102/6 at the halfway stage of the innings, all failing to apply themselves and adapt as the South Africans cut down on the pace.
The South African medium pacers, Ayabonga Khaka and Nadine de Klerk, along with left-arm spinners Nonkululeko Mlaba and Chloe Tryon, bowled superb line and length to tie down the Indian batters as the hosts went 86 balls without scoring a boundary as India’s scoring rate went down from five an over to three at one stage.
Richa Ghosh broke the shackles in the 29th over off Tryon and repeated the act on a couple of more occasions to give the innings a bit of momentum. She and Amanjot Kaur, who came into the playing XI after missing the last match due to a fever, added 37 runs for the seventh wicket, taking the score past 150, before she was out for 13 off 44 balls, studded with one four. She tried to break the shackles and ended up offering an easy catch to Sune Luus off Tryon, failing to reach the pitch, attempting to go big.
Richa soldiered on, slog-sweeping a slower one from de Klerk over the deep midwicket for her second six of the evening, adding to the four boundaries scored earlier. Sneh Rana struck Mlaba for back-to-back boundaries in the 43rd over and sent one past fine leg off de Klerk in the next over.
A boundary off a wide and another four by Richa of de Klerk helps her reach her first fifty of the ODI World Cup off 53 balls. That was India’s best over with Sneh and Richa hammering 16 runs as India inched towards the 200-run mark. Sneh and Richa raised the half-century of their eighth-wicket partnership off 36 balls to give the score some respectability.
Richa blasted two fours and a six off successive balls off Khaka for 19 runs in the 47th over, giving a blazing finish to the innings.
The match had started an hour late because of a brief spell of rain and a wet outfield. No overs were lost, though.
Brief scores: India 251/10 in 49.5 overs (Richa Ghosh 94, Pratika Rawal 37, Sneh Rana 33; Chloe Tryon 3-32, Marizanne Kapp 2-45, Nadine de Klerk 2-52) against South Africa.
(IANS)
