‘You little beauty’: Smriti Mandhana takes a stunner to dismiss Natali Sciver in 3rd ODI, former coach reacts - WATCH
Smriti Mandhana pulled off a stunning catch to dismiss England batter Natalie Sciver for 49 in the 3rd ODI in Worcester.
The Indian women’s cricket team on Saturday registered its first win in the ongoing tour of England. The Mithali Raj-led side defeated England women by 4 wickets in the 3rd ODI in Worcester to avoid a clean sweep. The Indian skipper top-scored with an unbeaten 86-ball 75, becoming the highest run-scorer across format in women's cricket.
Before Mithali’s match-winning knock, it was opener Smriti Mandhana whose extraordinary piece of fielding caught everyone’s attention. The latter pulled off a stunning catch to dismiss England batter Natalie Sciver for 49.
The incident took place in the 38th over of England women’s innings. A well-set Natalie tried to smash off-spinner Deepti Sharma over the cow corner boundary for a maximum. But Mandhana foiled her plan. The Indian opener ran towards her left and dived full length to complete a fantastic catch. Natalie’s dismissal brought the Indian eves back in the game, restricting the opponents to 219 in 47 overs.
Check out the video of Smriti Mandhana’s catch:
Former coach WB Raman couldn’t resist praising Mandhana for her brilliant efforts. He took to Twitter and wrote, “That's a stunner from @mandhana_smriti.. You little beauty Smriti..”
In pursuit of a 220-run target, the Indian women went off to a decent start. Mandhana struck with a 47-ball 49 before getting trapped in front by Sarah Glenn. Mithali then smashed a half-century and a cameo from Sneh Rana (24) towards the end helped the visitors register their first win in the tour.
Brief scores:
England 219/10 (Natalie Sciver 49, Heather Knight 46; Deepti Sharma 3-47)
India 220/6 (Mithali Raj (75, Smriti Mandhana 49; Sophie Ecclestone 2-36).