News
Fri 16 Feb 2018, 10:02 pm
Summary
This post examines Mithali Raj’s match-winning 76* that anchored India’s nine-wicket win over South Africa to clinch a 2-0 T20I series lead.
India’s top-order stability solved the chase problem: a 106-run opening partnership between Mithali Raj (76*) and Smriti Mandhana (57) neutralized early bowling pressure and weak South African fielding, enabling a controlled chase to 144 with nine wickets and 5 balls to spare.
South Africa’s innings faltered through timely Indian breakthroughs: early wickets (Lizelle Lee, M van Niekerk) and effective use of spinners/paced variations (Pooja Vastrakar, Poonam Yadav) turned 29/1 into 58/4 and ultimately contained them to 142/7 despite late hitting from Ismail.
Middle-order rebuilding attempts by Luus and de Klerk provided resistance but lacked acceleration: their careful singles-based recovery kept runs ticking, yet successive dismissals in the death overs prevented a defendable total, exposing reliance on late slogging.
Tactical execution and running complement batting dominance: Mithali’s anchoring with smart running and selective boundaries, combined with Mandhana’s aggression, showcased a clear blueprint—steady base, targeted aggression, and disciplined fielding—to close out the target efficiently.
With an unbeaten 76-run knock, Mithali Raj anchored India’s 143-run chase against South Africa in the second T20I. After a 106-run opening stand with Smirti Mandhana (57 off 42), the mainstay of the visitors' line-up took the team to a nine-wicket win and a 2-0 series lead. After Harmanpreet Kaur asked the Proteas Women to bat, Shikha Pandey accounted for Lizelle Lee to give India their first breakthrough. At 29 for one, S Luus joined D van Niekerk in building the innings. While the duo played watchfully to carry the innings forward, Pooja Vastrakar claimed the key wicket the opener to leave the hosts on 40 for two which set the ball rolling. In the next over M du Preez was run out while Poonam Yadav followed up with the wicket of M Kapp to leave SA wobbling at 58 for four. Luus and N de Klerk then toiled to rebuild the innings. With singles the pair kept the scoreboard moving. With runs hard to come by, Luus looked to break the shackles and was sent back by Poonam. Looking to accelerate, de Klerk too perished an over later with SA on 111 for six in the 18th over. Chloe Tryon, who looked to muscle her way forward also departed holing out to Veda Krishnamurthy at long-on with four balls left in the innings. Ismail then slammed Anuja Patil for a six and with a boundary off a no-ball also adding to the tally, South Africa garnered 142 for seven in 20 overs. Faced with a modest task, Mithali and Mandhana played themselves in before attacking the South African bowlers. While Mandhana upped the ante, her opening partner once again slipped into the sheet anchor role. Quick running between the wickets complemented by boundaries, the openers laid a solid foundation. The South African fielding too aided India’s cause as the visitors eased their way forward. Mandhana lofted Ntozakhe over the fence for back-to-back sixes to bring-up her half-century while Mithali creamed Tryon for successive boundaries in the next. However, after taking India past the three-figure mark, the left-hand batter was trapped lbw by M Daniels. With Harmanpreet, the senior batter then took the attack to the opposition. There was little the Proteas Women could do to stop the steady flow of runs as the Indian batters closed in on the target. With 12 required off 12 balls, Mithali helped pluck nine runs off Kapp to put India in the driver’s seat. And with a boundary off Ismail, she then took India to the target with five balls. Brief scorecard: South Africa 142/7 in 20 overs (S Luus 33, de Klerk 26, P Yadav 2/18, A Patil 2/37) lost to India 144/1 in 19.1 overs (M Raj 76*, S Mandhana 57) by 9 wickets Player of the Match: Mithali Raj for her match-winning 76-run knock
