India clinch ODI series against England as Harmanpreet Kaur’s brilliant century, Kranti Goud’s six-wicket haul steal the show

India’s women team secured convincing 13-runs victory over England in the third ODI at Riverside Ground. With this win India also sealed the ODI series by 2-1.

Harmanpreet had a disappointing T20I series as she scored 1,23,26 and 15. Later she went on to score 17 and 7 in the first two ODI games. With the ODI World Cup approaching, the skipper was eager to get some time out in the middle and regain her form. She was successful in final match of the tour, delivering a stunning century in the third ODI at Chester-le-Street.

Harmanpreet Kaur led the batting charge

Harmanpreet led the charge with an impressive century wheras, in the second innings youngster Kranti Goud picked 6 wicket, as England fell short by 14 runs while chasing the target of 319 runs. Captain Harmanpreet’s ton and Kranti’s six-wicket haul helped India secure a 13-runs victory and sealed a 2-1 series.

Talking about the match, Harmanpreet won the toss and opted to bat first. Walking into bat at 81/2 in the 18th over, she played a very calm and composed innings after the Mandhana and Harleen Deol got out.

Kaur played a very balanced innings,starting cautiously, building momentum through the middle overs, and finishing with a flourish. Before she struck the first of her many elegant cover drives for four, she was on 0 after facing 10 balls. A 77-ball, 110-run partnership between Harmanpreet and Jemimah helped India to reach over 300 runs, with the latter once again providing much-needed momentum to the middle order.

In her 50th ODI appearance, the Mumbai batter crafted a boundary-rich half-century. Richa Ghosh added the final flourish to the innings. The foundation was once again set by a strong opening partnership between Mandhana and Pratika Rawal.

Kranti Goud’s grabbed 6-wicket haul

Kranti Goud made an early impact with the new ball, which led to a disastrous start to England’s run chase. As she had done in the Southampton series opener, she quickly removed both openers. Amy Jones was sent back early shortly after Kranti’s second wicket, which came from a brilliant diving catch at short third by Deepti Sharma. With Kranti keeping her disciplined line and length and Sneh Rana bowling a couple of maiden overs, England managed just 5 runs between overs 5 and 9.

Nat Sciver-Brunt’s knock kept England’s hopes alive as they recovered from their early collapse. But the momentum shifted back in India’s favor when she was dismissed for 98 after being caught behind by Deepti Sharma. Before Kranti Goud returned for her final spell and took four more wickets Charlie Dean, Alice Davidson-Richards, Lauren Filer, and Lauren Bell, England’s hopes of completing a record chase were still in the balance. In a closely contested match, India’s fielding particularly Jemimah Rodrigues outstanding play also proved vital. In the end, India’s advantage came from their high first-innings total, which Harmanpreet had emphasized prior to the series.

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