Sneh Rana continued to showcase her brilliance with the ball as India survived a scare from South Africa’s openers to seal a 15-run victory. The win ensured India remained unbeaten and atop the table after the first round of fixtures in the tri-nation series in Sri Lanka.
With clear blue skies over Colombo and favourable conditions for batting, Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur won the toss and elected to bat. The Indian openers, as they have consistently done of late, got off to a solid start, striking a fine balance between aggression and caution to stitch together yet another fifty-plus stand. However, the partnership was eventually broken when Smriti Mandhana departed after a composed 36 off 54 balls.
Pratika Rawal continued her remarkable form, showing composure while steadily accumulating runs. During her innings, she became the fastest player to reach 500 runs in Women’s ODIs. Averaging over 94 after just eight innings, she looked well set for another century before falling for 78 off 91 balls to a cleverly disguised stock delivery.
Harleen Deol and Harmanpreet Kaur carried the innings forward, with Jemimah Rodrigues accelerating the scoring at a brisk strike rate of 128. Richa Ghosh also contributed with her trademark flair and powerful hitting.
Despite the scorching heat at R Premadasa Stadium, South Africa’s batters appeared undeterred by the 277-run target. Openers Laura Wolvaardt and Tazmin Brits came out firing, refusing to offer the bowlers any opportunities as they put together a 140-run opening stand from just 168 balls. Brits took the lead, contributing 90 runs in the partnership, while Wolvaardt played the supporting role before being dismissed by Deepti Sharma.
Brits went on to complete her third ODI century but was forced to retire hurt due to cramps caused by the intense heat. With both openers back in the pavilion, the Indian bowlers sensed an opportunity, and the spinners began to exploit the conditions. Sneh, in particular, took charge, building on her three-wicket haul against Sri Lanka with a five-wicket performance that ripped through South Africa’s middle order. This included a three-wicket over, where she got better of Nadine de Klerk, Annerie Dercksen and Brits.
Brits returned to the crease as South Africa found themselves in deep trouble, but her resistance was short-lived. She struck a powerful shot back towards Sneh, who reacted sharply to take a superb return catch, sealing her fifer.