Comeback-girl Smriti Mandhana and Jemimah Rodrigues hit contrasting half-centuries to lead the Indian women’s team to a 2-1 series victory over the West Indies here with a comfortable six-wicket win in the deciding third ODI.
Mandhana, who missed the first two matches of the series due to a toe injury, smashed a 63-ball 74 and raised a match-winning 141-run partnership with fellow opener Rodrigues (69 off 92) on Wednesday night. A solid foundation in place, India cruised to the 195-run target in 42.1 overs after the Indian bowlers did a commendable job of bowling out the hosts for a sub-par 194 in exact 50 overs.
During the course of her innings, Mandhana became the fastest Indian woman to score 2,000 runs in One-Day Internationals. The 23-year-old reached the milestone in her 51st innings.
Seasoned pacer Jhulan Goswami (2/30) and leg-spinner Poonam Yadav (2/35) shared four wickets between them, troubling the rival middle order after the West Indies elected to bat.
It was pacer Shikha Pandey and leg-spinner Rajeshwari Gaekwad, who removed the top-order as five of the six Indian bowlers in action, were among wickets.
Stafanie Taylor kept fighting for the hosts with a combative 79-run knock but ran short of partners as other West Indies batters struggled to negotiate India’s attack.
Apart from Taylor, Atacy-Ann showed some stomach for fight with a 45-ball 38.
It was Mandhana’s first ODI since the home series against England in February and third half-century in a row, having scored 63 and 66 against the British team in Mumbai.
Rodrigues, who had scored 41 in India’s defeat in the opening ODI, took 92 balls for her 69-run knock which had six boundaries.
The two teams will now play a five-match Twenty 20 series, beginning Sunday at Gros Islet.