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India’s impressive victory over South Africa in the first women’s ODI was led by Smriti Mandhana’s century and a strong bowling performance by Deepti Sharma and Asha Shobana. With this win, India now leads the series 1-0, with the second match scheduled for June 19. Mandhana’s sixth ODI century (117 runs off 127 balls, including 12 fours and 1 six) anchored India’s total of 265 for eight on a slow Chinnaswamy pitch. The Indian bowlers then put pressure on the South African batters, leading to their dismissal for just 122 runs. Debutant leg-spinner Asha was the standout performer with figures of 4/21, supported well by off-spinner Deepti (2/10).
The match started well for India as pacer Renuka Singh got the early breakthrough by dismissing South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt in the first over. The Indian bowlers continued to dominate, picking up key wickets at regular intervals to restrict the tourists to 122.
Mandhana’s partnership with Deepti and Pooja Vastrakar helped India recover from a shaky start. Despite losing early wickets, Mandhana held the innings together and guided India to a competitive total. Her fluent batting style was adjusted to suit the conditions and team requirements. Deepti also played a crucial role in supporting Mandhana with a confident innings.
Mandhana’s well-paced century and contributions from other players ensured India’s victory in the match. The team will look to carry this momentum forward in the upcoming games of the series.
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