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Match Details
Date: March 12, 2021
Time: 9:00 AM IST
Venue: Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow
Preview:
With the 5-match ODI series well poised at 1-1, it is now time for the third contest of the series. We have witnessed two one-sided matches in the series so far. While South Africa Women won the opener by 8 wickets, India Women bounced back with a comprehensive 9-wicket win on Tuesday.
Both the sides have struggled while batting first in Lucknow. Mithali Raj's side could only manage a total of 177 in the first ODI after Shabnim Ismal (3/28) dismantled India's batting line-up. Meanwhile, it was Jhulan Goswami (4/42) who stole show in the subsequent match as her brilliant spell bundled out Proteas on 157.
There have been glimpses of class from a lot of players in the two matches so far. Lizelle Lee (83*), Laura Wolvaardt (80*) and Mithali Raj (50) impressed everyone with their delightful strokes in the series opener. Whereas on Tuesday, it was a masterful display of batting from the experienced duo of Smriti Mandhana (80*) and Punam Raut (62*).
There will be a few causes of concern for both the sides coming into this contest. The form of talented youngster Jemimah Rodrigues could be a worry for India. With scores of 1 and 9 at top of the order, the 20-year-old would be hoping to get a big score in this match. On the other hand, skipper Sune Luus will also be disappointed with her dismissals in the two matches. After getting out early in the first ODI, she was looking to register a big score before throwing her wicket away to Mansi Joshi on Tuesday.
Talking about this game, both India and South Africa will have an opportunity to get a crucial 2-1 advantage with a win. With stakes so high, it is certainly going to be a thrilling encounter as two highly-competitive sides meet for a face-off on Friday at Ekana Cricket Stadium.
Players to watch out for:
Punam Raut:
Matches: 69 | Runs: 2076 | Avg: 32.95 | HS: 109*
Laura Wolvaardt:
Matches: 55 | Runs: 2085 | Avg: 45.32 | HS: 149
Poonam Yadav:
Matches: 48 | Wickets: 72 | ER: 3.75 | Best: 4/13
Ayabonga Khaka:
Matches: 64 | Wickets: 80 | ER: 4.12 | Best: 4/40
Probable Playing XI
India Women:
Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues, Punam Raut, Mithali Raj (c), Harmanpreet Kaur, Deepti Sharma, Sushma Verma (wk), Jhulan Goswami, Poonam Yadav, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Monica Patel
South Africa Women:
Lizelle Lee, Laura Wolvaardt, Sune Luus (c), Lara Goodall, Mignon du Preez, Marizanne Kapp, Nadine de Klerk, Trisha Chetty (wk), Shabnim Ismail, Ayabonga Khaka, Nonkululeko Mlaba