The Indian women’s cricket team on Saturday registered its first win in the ongoing tour of England. The Mithali Raj-led side defeated England women by 4 wickets in the 3rd ODI in Worcester to avoid a clean sweep. The Indian skipper top-scored with an unbeaten 86-ball 75, becoming the highest run-scorer across format in women's cricket.
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Before Mithali’s match-winning knock, it was opener Smriti Mandhana whose extraordinary piece of fielding caught everyone’s attention. The latter pulled off a stunning catch to dismiss England batter Natalie Sciver for 49.
The incident took place in the 38th over of England women’s innings. A well-set Natalie tried to smash off-spinner Deepti Sharma over the cow corner boundary for a maximum. But Mandhana foiled her plan. The Indian opener ran towards her left and dived full length to complete a fantastic catch. Natalie’s dismissal brought the Indian eves back in the game, restricting the opponents to 219 in 47 overs.
Check out the video of Smriti Mandhana’s catch:
{{/usCountry}}Check out the video of Smriti Mandhana’s catch:
{{/usCountry}}Former coach WB Raman couldn’t resist praising Mandhana for her brilliant efforts. He took to Twitter and wrote, “That's a stunner from @mandhana_smriti.. You little beauty Smriti..”
In pursuit of a 220-run target, the Indian women went off to a decent start. Mandhana struck with a 47-ball 49 before getting trapped in front by Sarah Glenn. Mithali then smashed a half-century and a cameo from Sneh Rana (24) towards the end helped the visitors register their first win in the tour.
Brief scores:
England 219/10 (Natalie Sciver 49, Heather Knight 46; Deepti Sharma 3-47)
India 220/6 (Mithali Raj (75, Smriti Mandhana 49; Sophie Ecclestone 2-36).