New Delhi: India captain Mithali Raj became only the second batter to total 5,000 one day runs in the history of women's ODI's. The other player to achieve this feat is England's Charlotte Edwards, currently ranked second in the latest ICC Women’s ODI Player Rankings for Batters, who has an aggregate of 5,829 runs to date.
Mithali achieved several other notable milestones during this series and is now third in the all-time list of women’s captains to pass the 2,500 mark, and currently stands on 2,543 runs, behind Australia great Belinda Clark (4,844) and Edwards (3,343). The 32-year-old Rajasthan native now holds the record of scoring the most runs by a women’s cricketer on home soil as she went overtook Edwards’ aggregate of 2,076. And her innings of 81 not out in the final tie of the five-match series was the 42nd half century (20 as captain) of her career and the right-hander is now second on the all-time list of batters who have scored the most fifties in ODI’s, behind Edwards (54 fifties). In reaching second place, Mithali overcame Australia’s Karen Rolton.
Meanwhile, in the first match of the three ICC Women’s Championship fixtures India’s Jhulan Goswami’s maiden international fifty inspired the hosts to a 17-run victory in a low scoring game. The home side won the toss and elected to bat and could manage 142 all out, with Goswami’s 57 the only highlight. The wickets were shared evenly by the White Ferns attack of Morna Nielsen (three for 24), Lea Tahuhu (three for 25) and Leigh Kasperek (three for 39). In reply, New Zealand reached 125 all out, with skipper Suzie Bates’ 28 the only notable knock. Sneh Rana took three for 26, with medium-pacer Harmanpreet Kaur (2 for 16) and Ekta Bisht (two for 18) restricting the tourists.
In the second ODI New Zealand bounced back strongly by restricting India to 163 all out, with opener Thirush Kamini’s 61 the standout knock, while Suzie Bates was the pick of the bowlers for the visitors on this occasion, taking three for 21. The White Ferns, inspired by Sophie Devine (33) and Katie Perkins (30), while Peterson’s 23 not out steered her side home with over five overs to spare to claim a three wicket win.
In the third and final game of the ICC Women’s Championship games, India could manage 182 all out, propelled by a fine 63 by Veda Krishnamurthy. Devine was the pick of the bowlers (3 for 40) in an innings which saw four run outs. A solid batting display with fifties from wicket-keeper Rachel Priest (64) and Bates (59) guiding New Zealand to the target with four wickets to spare.
Speaking after the series, Mithali Raj reflected: “It was a very competitive series against the White Ferns. After losing the second and third one day matches, the Indian girls have come back very strongly in the fourth and the fifth one day to win the series. It was disappointing to lose the ICC Women’s Championship points, but this series win gives the team confidence, especially after losing the home series against South Africa last year. Our batting has come good at crucial games, our openers gave a solid start which helped the team to chase big totals, while our bowling has been good throughout the series. We’re really looking forward to the forthcoming T20 games. I hope the girls can take this momentum into those games and play this really competitive Kiwi unit.”
White Ferns captain Suzie Bates commented: “When we played England at home earlier this year, we were 2-1 up but ended up losing the series. We had specifically spoken about not letting that happen again, so it’s really disappointing. We’re not happy with how we played their spinners. Credit to India for the way they batted in the last two matches; they showed courage and it is something we can learn from. The points are really important in the scheme of this women's competition but we were here to win the series and we wanted to finish off the job.
"Even after we went up 2-1 we knew that we still had a job to do. Credit to India and the way they came out in that fourth one-dayer. They really took it to our bowlers and improved dramatically from those first three games. We're pleased to get the points but disappointed not to finish the job.”
As a consequence, in the latest ICC Women’s ODI Player Rankings for Batters, Suzie Bates has risen one place to fifth and is now just five points adrift of her counterpart Mithali who is unchanged in fourth position. Sophie Devine has vaulted nine places to 12th after scoring 181 runs in the five matches (with a top score of 89), while the biggest Kiwi mover in the rankings is Anna Peterson who has vaulted 44 places to a career high 75th. For India, Kaur has dropped two places to seventh, while there were gains for Goswami (up 17 places to 26th), Kamini (up 40 places to a career high 42nd), Bisht (up eight places to 85th) and the major mover was Deepti Sharma who has vaulted a mammoth 91 places to a career high 91st.
In the ICC Women’s ODI Player Rankings for Bowlers, the top 10 is unchanged however there was significant movement outside that with Nielsen (up one to 13th), Tahuhu (up 14 to 32nd), Bates (up 17 to a career high 33rd) and Devine (up 10 places to 35th) each benefiting from a consistent series with the ball. Bisht has risen nine places to a career high 15th, while her team-mates Rajeshwari Gayakwad (up 24 to a career high 30th), Kaur (up 18 places to 71st) and Deepti Sharma (up 54 places to a career high 77th) amongst a number of bowlers to make progressions.
Stafanie Taylor of the West Indies continues to lead the all-rounders’ tables, however there were career high gains for both Goswami, who has jumped three places to second in the all-rounder rankings, as well as New Zealand’s Bates who has moved up two places to fifth on 255 points.
Meanwhile, though India claimed the overall spoils 3-2 in the five-match series, it is New Zealand who has moved up two places to joint fourth in the ICC Women’s Championship table following its 2-1 win in the three Championship games that were played at the start of the series in Bangalore.
The White Ferns went into the series second from bottom on four points, but has now leapfrogged Sri Lanka and England and has risen to fifth, a fraction behind Pakistan. India has gained two points but remains rooted to the bottom of the table on five points, marginally below Sri Lanka when net run rates are factored in.
In the final matches in round three England will host early pace-setters Australia later this month as Charlotte Edwards’ side bid to climb the table. England goes into the series knowing that a 3-nil series victory would move it to the top of the table, while Australia can extend its lead with a series win.The ICC Women’s Championship is a qualifying tournament for the ICC Women’s World Cup 2017 and is being participated in by Australia, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka and West Indies. The top four sides from the ICC Women’s Championship will gain automatic qualification for the event proper which is to be staged in England, while the bottom four sides will get a final chance of qualification through the ICC Women’s World Cup Qualifier in 2017. The tournament structure sees each team will play each other in one home or away series that will include three ODIs over a two and a half year period. As such, each side is guaranteed at least 21 ODIs over the tournament period.
