Smriti falls short of a third consecutive ton as India sweeps series against South Africa

India completes a 3-0 ODI series sweep against South Africa with a six-wicket victory at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.

India handed South Africa a six-wicket thrashing to complete a 3-0 sweep of the ODI series, at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium here on Sunday.

Chasing 216, the host romped home with more than nine overs to spare, with Smriti Mandhana adding another glorious chapter (90, 83b, 11x4) to her famed book of batting art. If not for a top-edge that landed in the hands of the short-fine fielder, it would have brought a third consecutive century, a stand-out achievement even in a trailblazing career as hers.

Even 10 runs short, the knock was just as dazzling, as Smriti drove, clipped and steered the ball effortlessly, ensuring that for the 15,000 adoring fans who had gathered to watch her, there would be no falsification of expectations.

Priya Punia, in for D. Hemalatha, made a sizeable contribution (28, 40b, 3x4, 1x6), and so did skipper Harmanpreet Kaur (42, 48b, 2x4). But for a second straight match, opener Shafali Verma got a start (25, 39b, 4x4), but did not make it count, with her penchant for hitting on the up proving fatal.

Earlier, South Africa, which opted to bat, began splendidly, with captain Laura Wolvaardt (61, 57b, 7x4) and Tazmin Brits (38, 66b, 2x4, 1x6) putting on 102 runs, a big upgrade from the highest of 14 this series. But Wolvaardt’s dismissal, via a sharp catch by speedster Arundhati Reddy off her own bowling, triggered a collapse.

Brits sprinted for a non-existent single and was run out, while Anneke Bosch fell to another excellent caught-and-bowled effort by Arundhati (two for 36), with the latter’s palm seeming as big as a baseball mitt. And when Shreyanka Patil — who replaced leggie Asha Sobhana — sent back star batter Marizanne Kapp, the Proteas were reduced to 120 for four.

There were small pockets of resistance from the likes of Nadine de Klerk (26, 46b) and Mieke de Ridder (26 n.o., 31b) that helped South Africa bat out the full quota of overs and add nearly 100 more runs. But they did nothing other than prolong the inevitable.