After a forgettable tour of Australia and then letting West Indies level the series after a sober performance in the 2nd T20I, hosts India were feeling the pressure going into the decider on Thursday night at Navi Mumbai.
But after putting a record 217/4 on the board, India were in the driver’s seat. And with the hosts claiming wickets at regular intervals, there was no way back for the West Indies who eventually fell short by 60-runs.
With a 2-1 series victory, the hosts will surely heave a sigh of relief.
Here are the talking points from India’s series-winning victory on Thursday.
Smriti Mandhana, the batting backbone
Every time the southpaw gets her willow to do the talking, India appear to be better placed.
And today was no different.
Scoring at a strike-rate of 163.82, Mandhana led from the front with a stellar 77 from 47 balls. With a combination of quintessential sublime timing and selective big hitting, the opener shepherded India to 143 before being dismissed in the 15th over.
She had the crowd on its feet with 13 hits to the fence and one that cleared it.
India’s batting delivers
Much like the second game, the tourists put India in to bat first. And if the hosts were win the series, their batting unit had to fire.
And fire they did, with all but Uma Chetry coming to the party.
Jemimah Rodrigues (39 from 28 balls) and Raghvi Bist (31 from 22 balls) kept the momentum going for the hosts.
Thereafter, when the late flourish was needed, Richa Ghosh scored at a strike-rate of 257.14 and struck 54 from 21-balls with five big hits and three boundaries.
Records galore
The Indian batting performance on the night ensured that multiple records tumbled.
India’s 217/4 at Navi Mumbai in the series decider was their highest total in women’s T20Is and eclipsed their previous best of 201/5 against UAE earlier this year.
Also, the total was the highest women’s T20I total on Indian soil.
217/4 was also incidentally, the highest total by any team against the West Indies in T20I cricket.
The previous highest was 212/ 6 by Australia in 2023.
Richa Gosh’s whirlwind 18-ball knock for her fifty was the joint-fastest fifty in women’s T20Is.
Keeping it simple
With a record total on the board, the Indian bowlers just had to keep things simple.
While the West Indies did score at over eight-runs an over, the score board pressure was just too much to handle.
Wickets fell at regular intervals and at 96/4 in the 12th over, the tourists were facing down the barrel.
The T20I series victory was a much need result for the hosts.
A loss in the series-decider would have dented their already fragile confidence.
Instead, now, on the back of this series victory and some encouraging batting performances, the hosts will go in to the three-match ODI series starting the 22nd at Vadodara with a certain degree of confidence.
That said, there are several departments that need attention.
From fielding and bowling to consistency in batting, virtually all aspects of the game needs attention and the upcoming ODI series will prove to be yet another opportunity for the hosts to hone their game ahead of bigger challenges ahead.
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