India-Bangladesh WODI series ends in 1-1 draw: Key takeaways
The three-match Women's ODI series between India and Bangladesh ended in a 1-1 draw as the deciding game got tied. BAN-W put up a valiant fifty and even scripted a historic 40-run in the opener. While Harmanpreet Kaur's team won the second game, the third and final game resulted in a thrilling tie. Here are the key takeaways from the series.
A thrilling end to the series
It was a low-scoring series as the Dhaka track significantly assisted the spinners. The opener saw Bangladesh claim their maiden WODI win over India as they successfully defended 152, winning by 40 runs. The visitors bounced back as Jemimah Rodrigues's all-round heroics powered them to a 108-run win in the second ODI. Harleen Deol, Smriti Mandhana, and Fargana Hoque starred in the tied clash.
Fargana Hoque scripted history
Hoque showcased remarkable character on the spin-friendly tracks as she was among the runs in all games. The opener could not convert her starts in the first two games, managing 27 and 47. The decider saw her become Bangladesh's first centurion in WODIs, scoring 107 off 160 balls. While she slammed 181 runs in the series, no other batter could manage even 130 runs.
Batting collapses hurt India
India would be gutted by their batting display as they suffered collapses in all three games. Chasing 154 in the opener, they were folded for 113 as India's highest partnership in the game was 30 runs. In the second match, they lost five wickets inside 29 runs. Chasing 226 in the decider, India were cruising at 191/4 but they then got folded for 225.
India's opening woes
India's opening woes troubled the visitors throughout this series. Priya Punia was dropped after the two ODIs, having managed scores of 10 and 7. Her replacement, Shafali Verma perished for four in the decider. Though Smriti Mandhana made 59 in the final game, 11 and 36 were her scores in the other matches. She was guilty of throwing away her starts.
Jemimah Rodrigues's all-round heroics
In a series where batters struggled for runs, Jemimah Rodrigues slammed 129 runs at a strike rate of 86.58. This includes a fiery 78-ball 86 in the second game. In the same match, she recorded bowling figures worth 4/3. She even scored 33* in the decider which saved India from a defeat. Meanwhile, Harleen Deol also did well, managing scores worth 25 and 77.
Bowling a positive for India
Indian bowlers made great utilization of the slow and turning tracks. With six wickets, leg-spinner Devika Vaidya finished as India's highest wicket-taker. Pacer Amanjot Kaur claimed four wickets in the opener, which marked her debut. Notably, none of India's frontline bowlers had an economy rate of over 4.5. The same kept Bangladesh batters at bay. In fact, Deepti Sharma's economy was a sensational 2.8.
Bangladesh bowlers shine in home conditions
The hosts played to their strength as their bowlers gave India a hard time. 18-year-old pacer Marufa Akter was brilliant with the new ball as she finished with seven wickets. The spin-trio of Nahida Akter (6 wickets) and Sultana Khatun (4 wickets), and Rabeya Khan (5 wickets) were sensational in the middle overs. All these spinners bowled at an economy of less than four.
Harmanpreet's inconsistency hurt India
Though Harmanpreet scored 52 in the second ODI, the Indian skipper could only manage five and 14 in the other two matches. Her failures undoubtedly hurt India as the veteran failed to anchor the innings in the middle overs. Moreover, she smashed the stumps after being adjudged LBW in the final game and later labeled the umpiring in the series as "pathetic."
