Indian women cricketers seal three-match ODI series against Bangladesh

FILE PHOTO: Harmanpreet Kaur

Indian women cricketers sealed the three-match ODI series against Bangladesh, winning the second one-dayer by 46 runs at the Sardar Patel Stadium in Motera, Ahmedabad on Wednesday.

Set a formidable victory target of 257, Bangladesh got off to a sloppy start when opener Shukhtara Rahman was trapped in front by spinner Ritu Dhruv for 10. Farzana Haque and Rumana Ahmed buckled down to do the repair job, adding 44 runs for the second wicket before left-arm tweaker Ekta Bisht prised out the former for 26 at the team’s score on 66.

Rumana Ahmed kept the visitors in the contest, keeping the runs flowing at one end, scoring a steady half-century before Ekta Bisht struck again, dislodging her for a 94-ball 75 studded with nine fours.

Captain Salma Khatun tried her best but she lacked support at the other end as Bangladesh finished at 210 for 9 off their stipulated 50 overs.

Earlier, Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur racked up her second one-day international century as the hosts set Bangladesh a victory target of 257.

The talented right-handed batswoman vindicated her earlier decision to bat first when the flip of the coin fell in her favour, stitching a pugnacious century stand for the third wicket with opener Poonam Raut to wrest the initiative from Bangladesh, who pegged back the Indian batswomen in the early stages of their innings.

Harmanpreet joined Poonam with the team’s score on 75 in the 19th over. The Indian skipper took time to settle down even as Poonam was well set by now.

Poonam milked the ones and twos and deposited the loose balls to the fence. She soon arrived at her seventh ODI half-century and went on to surpass her previous best ODI score of 72.

The way the Poonam-Harmanpreet pair was going, it looked as if India would indeed post a score in excess of 270. But Bangladesh hit back when Poonam Raut was castled by Jahanara Alam for 80 – the seamer reaping rich dividends for a incisive opening spell earlier in the day.

Poonam’s 80 came off 104 balls and contained 9 boundaries.

Harmanpreet showed more responsibility after the exit of Poonam in a bid to give direction to the Indian innings.

She upped the ante, clobbering 11 boundaries and two sixes to notch up her second ODI century before she fell in the death overs to Salma Khatun for 103 as India eves posted 256 for 6 off their allotted 50 overs.

Bangladesh seamers – Jahanara Alam and Panna Ghosh, earlier in the morning bowled a tidy spell, offering very boundary balls. Jahanara was more penetrative of the two, bowling a probing spell, rarely straying in line and length – conceded just 20 runs in her first seven overs.

Indian openers Poonam Raut and Thirush Kamini were not allowed to break free. The persistence of Jahanara paid off when she accounted for Thirush Kamini for 18 in the 9th over.

Kamini consumed 32 deliveries for her 18 – she struck two boundaries but at large struggled to play her natural game in the face of some tight bowling by the Jahanara-Pana combo.

16-year-old Smriti Mandhawa, making her one-day internatonal debut, showed maturity beyond her age, rebuilding the Indian innings together with Poonam Raut, who like Kamini was not able to get going in the first ten overs which yielded just 27 runs.

Smriti and Poonam were inching closer to a half-century partnership when Bangladesh captain Salma Khatun effected a breakthrough, cleaning up Smriti Mandhawa for a confidently constructed 25, which came off 35 balls and contained three fours.

India now have taken an unbeatable 2-0 lead in the three-match ODI series. The third and final ODI will be played at the same venue on Friday.

Earlier, Indian women swept the three-match T20 series 3-0 in Vadodara.