Senior off-spinner Deepti Sharma did the star turn with career-best figures of 6/31 before doing her bit with the bat as India completed a 3-0 whitewash of the West Indies with a five-wicket victory in the final Women's ODI in Vadodara on Friday. Having bowled out West Indies for 162 after Deepti's superlative performance and pacer Renuka Singh's (4/29) excellent show with the new ball, India recovered after a top-order wobble to reach the target of 163 in 28.2 overs.
India were in a spot of bother at 73/4 but Deepti (39 not out in 48 balls) used all her experience to see the team through with plenty of overs remaining. Swashbuckling wicketkeeper-batter Richa Ghosh was unbeaten on an 11-ball 23 when the winning runs were scored.
Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur, who eased nerves with two boundaries after last match centurion Harleen Deol's (1) dismissal left India at 23/2, blazed away to a 22-ball 32 before getting bowled by Afy Fletcher. During her breezy knock, Kaur smashed seven boundaries and looked good for a big one before getting dismissed.
In-form opener Smriti Mandhana (4) departed early as Ashmini Munisar completed a strange one-handed catch after appearing to have misjudged what should actually have been a straightforward catch off the bowling of Aaliyah Alleyne.
Enjoying a good run of form in recent times, vice-captain Mandhana did not get to the pitch of the ball on the day and paid the price.
One-down batter Deol followed suit, nicking for a Deandra Dottin delivery way outside off-stump and got a faint edge that was taken by wicketkeeper Shemaine Campbelle. Middle-order batter Jemimah Rodrigues chipped in with 29 off 45 balls.
Earlier, Renuka Thakur tormented West Indies with a fiery opening spell before Deepti got into the act to bowl out the visitors cheaply. Thakur and Deepti were relentless with the ball, taking all 10 wickets between them.
Thakur's accurate line and length dismantled the top order, while Deepti deceived the West Indies batters with flight and guile, recording her third ODI five-wicket haul and second six-wicket performance.
West Indies fought back with a 97-run partnership between Chinelle Henry (61) and Shemaine Campbelle (46), helping them to cross 160. Without this stand, the visitors might have been bowled out for less than 100. Both batted really well and were aggressive against the spinners.
Apart from Henry and Campbelle, only Aaliyah Alleyne (21) reached a double digit score as West Indies' batting woes continued.
Opting to bat first, West Indies' innings struggled from the onset as Thakur dismissed both openers -- Qian in the very first ball -- and Hayley Matthews, who scored a century in the last match, for ducks. She then claimed the wicket of the dangerous Deandra Dottin (5).
From there, the show belonged to Deepti as she took control by spinning a web. West Indies lost wickets at regular intervals, ending their innings in the 39th over and denting their chances of securing a consolation win.
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