Batters post record score before Radha four-for leads India to first home women’s T20I series win in five years

Batters post record score before Radha four-for leads India to first home women’s T20I series win in five years

Richa Ghosh loves to be aggressive, no matter where she bats. Challenging situations bring out the best in her.

Things were no different at the DY Patil Stadium on Thursday. Batting at No.5, she toyed with the West Indies bowlers and went on to join Australia’s Phoebe Litchfield and New Zealand’s Sophie Devine in scoring the fastest fifty in women’s T20I – in just 18 deliveries.

With more than 47,000 spectators chanting her name, Richa (54, 21b, 3×4, 5×6) guided India to a massive 217 for 4 – its highest total in the format – as the Women in Blue bagged a 60-run win in the third T20I and pocketed the series 2-1.

Coming on the back of a dominating victory, West Indies’ move to field backfired as none of its bowlers could make an impact. Despite Uma Chetry departing early, India took things in its stride as stand-in captain Smriti Mandhana (77, 47b, 13×4, 1×6) and Jemimah Rodrigues put up a 98-run partnership for the second wicket.

Mandhana set the tone by scoring 13 off the third over and 20 off the fourth. As she smashed the bowlers all over the park, en route to her third consecutive fifty, Mandhana not only made batting look quite easy, but also set the record for most runs (193) by an Indian woman in a bilateral T20I series.

Making the most of West Indies’ listless bowling and sloppy fielding, Mandhana also became the batter with most runs in a calendar year in women’s T20I, with a tally of 763.

Once Mandhana and Jemimah’s partnership ended, Ghosh forged a 70-run stand with Raghvi Bist and carried on the carnage. Ghosh found the fence at ease as India scored at nearly 10 an over.

However, with heavy dew settling in, Indian bowlers had a tough job in hand. But left-arm spinner Radha Yadav dashed Windies’ hopes with 4 for 29. While Qiana Joseph fell early, Radha broke the 37-run stand between Deandra Dottin and Hayley Matthews, by removing the latter. As she tightened the noose, West Indies slipped further and was eventually out of the game, despite Chinelle Henry’s quick-fire 43 off 16.