Mumbai : Smriti Mandhana's half-century and Radha Yadav's fiery spell helped India Women clinch a 60-run victory over West Indies in the final and third T20I match of the series on Thursday at DY Patil Stadium.
With the win on Thursday, the Women in Blue sealed the series by 2-1 over the Caribbeans. West Indies won the toss and opted to bowl first against Mandhana's side.
Mandhana (77 runs from 47 balls, 13 fours and 1 six) and Uma Chetry (0 runs from 2 balls) opened for the hosts. However, it wasn't the best opening for India as Chetry continued her sloppy form in the series and got dismissed in the first over of the match.
Jemimah Rodrigues (39 runs from 28 balls, 4 fours) replaced Chetry and cemented a 98-run partnership with Mandhana, boosting Women in Blue's confidence in the game.
After the dismissal of Mandhana and Rodrigues, Raghvi Bist (31* runs from 22 balls, 2 fours and 1 six) and Richa Ghosh (54 runs from 21 balls, 3 fours and 5 sixes) played a crucial knock and powered India to 217/4 in the first inning. Raghvi and Sajeevan Sajana (4 runs from 1 ball, 1 four) stayed unbeaten on the crease in the first inning.
The Caribbean bowling attack showcased a sloppy performance in the game. Chinelle Henry, Deandra Dottin, Aaliyah Alleyne and Afy Fletcher bagged one wicket each in their respective spells.
During the run chase, Hayley Matthews (22 runs from 17 balls, 1 four and 1 sixes) and Qiana Joseph (11 runs from 13 balls, 1 four and 1 six) could not give the Caribbeans the best start in the second inning.
Only Chinelle Henry (43 runs from 16 balls, 3 fours and 4 sixes) and Deandra Dottin (25 runs from 17 balls, 4 fours) were the only top run-getters for the Caribbeans, however, it was not enough for the visitors to clinch the win in the game.
Till the end, Afy Fletcher (5 runs from 7 balls) and Karishma Ramharack (3 runs from 6 balls) stayed unbeaten on the crease. Radha Yadav led the Indian bowling attack as she picked up four wickets in her four-over spell and gave away just 29 runs. Her fiery spell helped the Women in Blue clinch a win in the final match of the series.
Richa Ghosh was named the 'Player of the Match'. Meanwhile, Smriti Mandhana was crowned the 'Player of the Series'. Brief score: India Women 217/4 (Smriti Mandhana 77, Richa Ghosh 54; Afy Fletcher 1/24) beat West Indies Women 157/9 (Chinelle Henry 43, Deandra Dottin 25; Radha Yadav 4/29).