Pooja Vastrakar’s Final-Over Brilliance Seals Narrow 4-Run Win for India Women Against South Africa

The Indian women’s cricket team secured a thrilling 4-run victory in the second ODI against South Africa, clinching the series win at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Wednesday, June 19th.

Openers Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur scored brilliant centuries, helping India post a massive total of 325 runs. Deepti Sharma and Pooja Vastrakar then shared four wickets to restrict a valiant South African chase that fell agonisingly short at 321.

The match turned into a high-scoring affair, witnessing a record-breaking four individual hundreds. Leading the charge for India were Smriti Mandhana (102) and Kaur (118), who stitched together a crucial 171-run partnership to build the foundation for a big score.

Notably, it was the second consecutive century for Smriti Mandhana, who earlier scored 117 runs in the first ODI against South Africa. Also she became the only Indian batter in the women’s cricket history to score back to back centuries in ODI.

South Africa wasn’t going down without a fight. Captain Laura Wolvaardt (135*) played a captain’s knock, while middle-order batter Marianne Kapp (114) chipped in with a belligerent century. The pair forged a mammoth 184-run stand for the fourth wicket, threatening to pull off a record chase in women’s ODI history.

However, India’s bowling attack held their nerve in the final overs. Pooja Vastrakar emerged as the hero, taking two crucial wickets in the final over, including Nadine de Klerk and Nondumiso Shangase on consecutive deliveries. This left Wolvaardt needing a big shot off the last ball for a win, but she failed to connect, handing India a dramatic series victory.