India Women beat Windies by 5 wickets, sweep series 3-0

West Indies captain Hayley Matthews won the toss in the final match of the tour and opted to bat first, but her decision backfired as India’s pace ace Renuka Singh Thakur dismissed both openers in the very first over.

Thakur’s fiery opening spell (4/29) and a career-best performance by Deepti Sharma (6/31) skittled the visitors for 162. The duo took all 10 wickets between them, with Deepti achieving her second six-wicket haul in ODIs. Thakur’s precise line and length dismantled the top order, while Deepti’s guile and flight confused the batters, claiming her third ODI five-wicket haul.

West Indies managed to recover from 25/5 with a resilient 97-run partnership between Chinelle Henry (61) and Shemaine Campbelle (46). However, apart from these two, Aaliyah Alleyne (21) was the only other batter to reach double digits, exposing the team’s ongoing batting woes.

India’s chase of 163 started shakily, with opener Smriti Mandhana dismissed for a sluggish 4 off 19 balls. Harleen Deol soon followed, leaving India at 26/2. Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur and Pratika Rawal attempted to steady the innings, but the partnership was cut short by Hayley Matthews and Afy Fletcher.

Jemimah Rodrigues (29) and Deepti Sharma stitched a vital 50-run partnership to bring India back on track. Although Jemimah fell, Richa Ghosh’s explosive unbeaten 23 off 11 balls ensured India reached the target with five wickets in hand. India wore black armbands during the match as a tribute to former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, who passed away on Thursday.