Login
Colombo, May 7, 2025 - A brilliant century from Jemimah Rodrigues and a match-defining all-round display by Deepti Sharma helped India Women defeat South Africa Women by 23 runs in a thrilling tri-series encounter at R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo. With this victory, India booked their place in the Women's Tri-Series final, continuing their unbeaten run.
Rodrigues Anchors Century and Deepti Rescue India after Early Collapse.
Batting first, India Women were rocked early, losing three wickets inside the powerplay. Pratika Rawal departed just eight balls into the innings, and Harleen Deol followed soon after, dragging one onto her stumps. Even though Harmanpreet Kaur looked fluent with six boundaries, her dismissal for 28 left India reeling at 50/3 in the 7th over.
It was then up to Smriti Mandhana and Jemimah Rodrigues to steady the ship. Mandhana played a calm knock, bringing up another half-century, while Rodrigues quickly got into her groove. She raced to 28 off 20 balls and brought up her half-century off just 40 balls.
Mandhana, unfortunately, couldn't convert her start, mistiming a shot to deep midwicket. But any hopes South Africa had of triggering another collapse were dashed by a crucial 100+ stand between Rodrigues and Deepti Sharma. Initially After making five runs on fifteen balls, Deepti burst with consecutive boundaries off Chloe Tryon to finish with an incredible 93.
Rodrigues powered to 123 off 101 balls, smashing 15 fours and a six, bringing up her second international century. India ended with an imposing 337/9, a score that proved just enough.
South Africa's Late Charge Falls Short:
In reply, South Africa were jolted early as Lara Goodall edged to the keeper in the second over. Though Miane Smit and Tazmin Brits staged a recovery, they could only take the total to 40/1 in 10 overs, putting pressure on the middle order. Both batters were dismissed quickly, forcing another rebuild.
Although Annerie Dercksen maintained a solid stand with a crucial knock of 81 runs for the team, but the job of making runs in such situation of 188/5 is difficult. Enter Chloe Tryon, who launched an aggressive counter-attack. She smashed a six in successive overs and then took Sneh Rana for 19 in one over, reducing the equation to 82 off 36.
But India fought back. Two quiet overs and the wicket of Dercksen hurt South Africa's chances. Though Nadine de Klerk and Tryon responded with 17-run overs, bad light briefly interrupted the game. On resumption, India closed out the match to win by 23 runs.
India into Final with Winning Momentum
Because of Deepti and specifically Rodrigues's outstanding performmance and effictive efforts, India officially qualified for the Women's Tri-Series final. The match highlighted India's depth, resilience, and growing confidence as they eye the tri-series trophy.
Head Coach Hrishikesh Kanitkar lauded the performance, saying, "This team is learning to bounce back from tough situations. Jemimah and Deepti were phenomenal today."
