IND W vs SA W Highlights: Rodrigues, Deepti Shine as India Beat South Africa to Reach Tri-Series Final

India Women booked their place in the Tri-Series final with a strong 23-run win over South Africa Women. It was a complete performance with both bat and ball as India scored 337/9 the highest total of the tournament so far and their best-ever score against South Africa in ODIs.

South African women won the toss and chose to bowl first, hoping to take early wickets and put pressure on India. Things started well for them as India lost three quick wickets inside the first seven overs. Pratika Rawal (1), Harleen Deol (4) and captain Harmanpreet Kaur (28) all fell early, leaving India in trouble at 50/3.

Jemimah Leads the Way with a Brilliant Century

The star of the day was Jemimah Rodrigues, who played a wonderful knock of 123 runs from just 101 balls. She stayed calm under pressure and took charge of the innings. Her sweeps and drives were classy and her running between the wickets kept the scoreboard ticking. Jemimah added an 88-run stand with Smriti Mandhana, who scored a stylish 51.

After Mandhana’s dismissal, Deepti Sharma stepped in and built a strong 122-run partnership with Jemimah. Promoted up the order, Deepti started slow but soon shifted gears and began hitting boundaries at will. She made 93 off 84 balls before getting out on the second-last ball of the innings. Thanks to her effort, India finished with a massive total of 337/9. South Africa’s bowlers found it hard to control the Indian batters. Masabata Klaas, Nadine de Klerk and Nonkululeko Mlaba took two wickets each, while Chloe Tryon and Annerie Dercksen got one apiece.

Chasing 338, South Africa lost Lara Goodall early. Debutant Miane Smit and Tazmin Brits put together a 63-run stand, but Amanjot Kaur broke the partnership by removing Brits for 26. Smit also looked good before falling for 39.

Annerie Dercksen played a solid knock, scoring 81, and shared a 70-run stand with Nondumiso Shangase (36). But as the required run rate kept rising, the pressure got to them. Sinalo Jafta added 21 before getting out, and Chloe Tryon brought late hope with a powerful 67 from 39 balls. After a short break due to bad light, South Africa needed 39 runs from 12 balls. They fought hard but ended up on 314/7, falling 23 runs short.

Bowlers Step Up for India

Amanjot Kaur stood out with the ball for India picking up 3 wickets for 59 runs. She kept things tight and struck at the right moments. Deepti Sharma also chipped in with two crucial wickets, while Nallapureddy Charani and Pratika Rawal took one each. The Indian bowlers held their nerves well especially in the final overs and did a solid job defending the big total.

India did have a bit of luck on their side too — Jemimah got a lifeline on 58 with a close LBW call going her way and Deepti just managed to escape a run-out on 44. This win puts India back on track and into the final, where they’ll take on hosts Sri Lanka on Sunday. For South Africa, the loss means they finish the Tri-Series without a single win and miss out on a spot in the final.