Queenstown: Veteran Jhulan Goswami’s impressive three-wicket haul was the only bright spot as India again failed to defend an impressive total with host nation New Zealand taking a three-wicket series win in the third ODI here on Friday.
It was Goswami again who led the bowling group after being out of the second ODI. She was good for three New Zealand wickets at the top to rock the home side’s 280 run chase.
India appeared to be on their way to their first win of the tour as they brought New Zealand back to 171 for 6 in the 35th over, but in the end they couldn’t do this as Lauren Down (65 not out) took the hosts home with five balls to Reserve.
This was the second highest pursuit in the history of women’s ODI cricket.
New Zealand needed 105 runs from the last 15 overs and 64 from 10 with four wickets in hand and the Indians failed to break the home side’s lower ranking.
Down and Katey Martin (35) gave the Indian bowlers a hard time with 76 points for the seventh wicket.
New Zealand needed 18 runs from the last two overs and Goswami conceded 12 in the penultimate over before Down, who was dropped at 10, hit a six in the first ball of the final bowled by Deepti Sharma to reach 280 for 7 and take the win. agreement.
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India had lost the first two ODIs by 62 runs and three wickets respectively, after losing 18 runs in the lone T20I.
Goswami, 39, struck in the third ball of the New Zealand pursuit by removing captain Sophie Devine for a duck before bowling Suzie Bates (5) clean to leave the hosts at 14 for 2 in 2.3 overs.
She then returned to break up a dangerous-looking partnership between Amy Satterthwaite (59) and Amelia Kerr (67) by firing the former in the 24th.
Satterthwaite and Kerr had revived the New Zealand innings with a third wicket score of 103 runs.
After Kerr – who had hit a match-winning 119 that wasn’t out in the second game – was out in the 31st over, New Zealand lost three quick wickets for just 19 runs only to be reduced to 171 for 6 in the 35th over .
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Earlier, India rode half a century further from Sabbhineni Meghana, Shafali Verma and Deepti Sharma to place 279 – their highest total against New Zealand – after being asked to bat.
Young openers Meghana (61) and Verma (51) got India off to a flying start with a score of 100 in 13 overs, but the visitors later lost wickets at regular intervals to come out 279 in 49.3 overs.
Star opener Smriti Mandhana again missed the game – her fourth game of the tour, including the lone T20I – when she came out of quarantine on Tuesday.
Meghana was in sensational form as she consumed just 41 balls for her 61 and nine fours and hit two sixes. Verma had seven fours in her 57 ball knock.
Vice-captain Harmenpreet Kaur’s miserable form continued as she made just 13 from 22 balls to add to her identical 10 runs each in the first two ODIs.
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Yastika Bhatia (19) and captain Mithali Raj (23), who scored back-to-back for half a century, were also unable to contribute much, but Deepti Sharma seized the opportunity with a brilliant run-a-ball 69 not out in order to bring India’s score past 275.
Sharma hit seven fours and one six.
New Zealand used a whopping seven bowlers, with Hannah Rowe and Rosemary Mair picking two wickets apiece.
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