Indian eves rout Windies 3-0
Indian eves rode on Veda Krishnamurthy’s second fifty of the series and a double-wicket 47th over by Rajeshwari Gayakwad to beat West Indies by 15 runs in the third and final ODI in Vijayawada on Wednesday to win the series 3-0.
India collected 19 points from this campaign and will look to qualify for the 2017 World Cup at this month’s Asia Cup to be played in Thailand.
West Indies needed to win just one game in the series to automatically qualify for the World Cup. They remain in fourth place with 22 points. If South Africa whitewash Australia in the three-match series beginning on Nov 18, which appears unlikely, Windies, the world T20 champions, would still make the cut directly.
The visitors chose to bowl first at the
India’s batting order was largely untested as the hosts had chased in the previous two games on a surface that progressively became easier to bat on.
Flamboyant Krishnamurthy (71), who had scored a half-century in the first game, anchored the innings with grit and determination. Her partnerships with Harmanpreet Kaur and Devika Vaidya helped India post 199 for 6 in their 50 overs.
Chasing down a target of 200 on a slow wicket was always going to be difficult for Windies women. Hayley Matthews (44) put on 49 for the opening wicket with Shaquana Quinty before Gayakwad trapped her in front.
Kycia Knight hit 55 to lead a Windies fightback before she became the sixth wicket to fall in the 47th over, with 27 runs still required for victory. The hosts held their nerves to eke out a thrilling win by bowling out the opposition for 184.