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Deandra Dottin spearheaded West Indies’ chase with a quickfire 52 off 28 balls, supported by Qiana Joseph. Still, her efforts fell short as the team dropped 49 runs behind. India took a 1-0 lead in the three-match T20I series against West Indies, thanks to a dominant 81-run partnership between Jemimah Rodrigues and Smriti Mandhana. The […]
Deandra Dottin spearheaded West Indies’ chase with a quickfire 52 off 28 balls, supported by Qiana Joseph. Still, her efforts fell short as the team dropped 49 runs behind. India took a 1-0 lead in the three-match T20I series against West Indies, thanks to a dominant 81-run partnership between Jemimah Rodrigues and Smriti Mandhana. The victory was also bolstered by excellent fielding. At the same time, young medium-pacer Titas Sadhu claimed three key wickets to help India secure the win.
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With Shafali Verma dropped, Smriti Mandhana was paired with Uma Chetry, playing her fifth T20I. West Indies opted to bowl first and introduced spin early, bringing left-arm spinner Zaida James in the second over to bowl to Mandhana. The over yielded 13 runs, with Mandhana pulling James for a four on the first ball and Chetry following up with back-to-back boundaries through the covers. Hayley Matthews brought herself on in the fourth over to bowl to Mandhana but was dispatched for two consecutive fours. Mandhana found her rhythm, contributing more than half of the opening partnership’s 50-run stand by the end of the powerplay.
Chetry dropped in the slips on 14 and failed to make the most of her lifeline. She struggled to find the gap on the leg side and slowed down against offspinner Karishma Ramharack. Chetry was eventually bowled while attempting a flick, ending her innings on 24 from 26 balls.
The wicket of Chetry, however, proved to be a turning point for India, as Rodrigues joined Mandhana at the crease. Rodrigues immediately played to her strengths, expertly sweeping and reverse-sweeping for boundaries. Mandhana, on the other hand, went on the back foot to dominate the spinners, finding boundaries at regular intervals. The pair took on the West Indies attack aggressively, with 19 runs coming off Matthews’ 13th over. Their partnership surpassed 80 before Ramharack dismissed Mandhana for 54.
Coming in at No. 4, Richa Ghosh ensured India kept the momentum, smashing two fours and a six off the first seven balls she faced. However, her innings were short-lived, as Dottin caught her at deep midwicket. Rodrigues continued her onslaught, reaching her fifty off just 28 balls, hitting boundaries around the ground, and running swiftly between the wickets. She was run out for 73 off 35 balls in the final over, but not before setting India up with a considerable total.
With Harmanpreet Kaur absent from the field for the chase, Mandhana took over the captaincy, and Minnu Mani stepped in as a substitute. Mani made the most of her opportunity, taking superb catches in the infield and outfield on a foggy evening in Navi Mumbai. In the second over, when Sadhu had Matthews top-edge a pull, Mani sprinted back from mid-on, dived, and caught the ball that dropped from a height with outstretched hands. She took another catch near long-on when Chinelle Henry miscued Radha Yadav’s delivery straight up in the air.
The dangerous Dottin was initially dropped by Rodrigues and then by Mandhana. Still, she eventually holed out to Radha, who moved swiftly to her left from long on to take the catch. While India’s fielding under lights has often been criticized, they executed their catching precisely on this occasion.
Sadhu returned after an injury layoff from the Australia ODIs earlier this month, a return that didn’t go well initially. However, with dew settling in on Sunday, she effectively varied her lines and lengths, claiming three crucial wickets. An outstanding catch by Mani accounted for Matthews, and she caught Qiana Joseph by surprise by shortening her length right after conceding a six. Joseph caught off guard, mistimed a shot to mid-off, and was dismissed for 49 off 33 balls.
Despite Dottin’s resilience, West Indies still had a chance to turn the game around. Dottin was in her element, opening her account with an 80m hit over deep midwicket and keeping the scoring rate alive single-handedly, as little support came from the other end. After being dropped on 40, she launched a six and a four to reach her half-century off just 26 balls. However, she couldn’t capitalize on her second life when dropped on 52, falling to Sadhu off the very next ball. At that point, needing 70 off 31 balls, West Indies’ chances of a comeback vanished.
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