ODI records tumble as India survive scare to win South Africa series

Put in to bat first, Indian openers Smriti Mandhana and Shefali Varma made a slow start, playing out two maiden overs and scoring just four runs off the first five. They finished the 10-over Powerplay phase on 28-0. After Varma's dismissal in the 12th over, Mandhana began to step up a gear, but lost the company of Dayalan Hemalatha in the 23rd over, bringing captain Harmanpreet Kaur to the crease.

Thereafter, it was all India. Kaur and Mandhana climbed into the bowling, and were particularly severe on spinners Nondumiso Shangase and Sune Luus. Mandhana brought up her century in the 39th over, a second on the trot in Bengaluru after her knock of 117 on Sunday. By the time she was dismissed for 136, the pair had put on 171 for the third wicket in double-quick time.

Watch: Highlights of Smriti Mandhana's century vs South Africa

Wicketkeeper Richa Ghosh then came out to play a belligerent knock of 25 off 13 deliveries, before Kaur brought up her sixth ODI century by taking 17 runs off the final over of the innings, bowled by Nonkululeko Mlaba. India ended up scoring 118 in the last 10 overs, including 40 in the last three enroute to 325-3, their highest score in a home ODI.

Attempting a world-record run chase, South Africa got off to a solid start, socring 52-1 in the Powerplay and consistently ensuring they were ahead of India at their corresponding point in the innings. It seemed Mandhana could do no wrong in this match, as she followed up her century with a wicket off just her second delivery in international cricket to leave the Proteas at 67-3 in 14.2 overs.

But just like the first innings, a middle-overs partnership carried South Africa through. Number five Marizanne Kapp joined Laura Wolvaardt in the middle, scoring a brisk 114 off 94 balls as the pair put on 184 in 28.2 overs. Thereafter, Wolvaardt took over and completed her century in the 45th over, creating history by making this the first women's ODI match with four centurions.

South Africa were left with 54 runs to get off the last five overs, which quickly became 38 off three and finally, 11 off one. A boundary off the second ball from Nadine de Klerk brought the equation down to 6 from 4 balls, but Pooja Vastrakar had her caught at long-on with a slower ball, before then dismissing Nondumiso Shangase. A bye off the penultimate ball brought Wolvaardt back on strike with five runs needed for victory, but another slower ball from Vastrakar beat the bat to help secure a thrilling Indian win.

Result: India 325-3 (Smriti Mandhana 136, Harmanpreet Kaur 103*, Nonkululeko Mlaba 2-51) beat South Africa 321-6 (Laura Wolvaardt 135*, Marizanne Kapp 114, Pooja Vastrakar 2-54) by 4 runs. India lead the three-match series 2-0. 

Records tumble in India vs South Africa second ODI

Several records were set in the match. At 646, it was the second highest-scoring match in women's ODI history, after the 678 scored during England (373-5) vs South Africa (305-9) in 2017. South Africa also registered the highest-ever second innings score in women's ODI history, beating their own aforementioned 305-9. Kapp and Wolvaardt's partnership of 184 was the second-highest for the fourth wicket for South Africa, after Johmari Logtenberg and Mignon du Preez's 224* against Netherlands in 2007.

Smriti Mandhana's century took her tally in ODIs to seven, the joint-most by an Indian woman alongside Mithali Raj. Her 171-run stand with Harmanpreet Kaur was the fastest home century stand ever for India, coming at 7.54 runs per over. In addition, she became the first Indian woman to score multiple centuries in the same bilateral ODI series. 

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