Punam ton in vain, South Africa clinch series

CHENNAI:  Punam Raut's four-year wait for an ODI century ended on Sunday, albeit in a losing cause as South Africa women beat India by seven wickets to clinch the five-match series 3-1 with one match to go. Though there were some takeaways, Mithali Raj & Co were largely outplayed in the bowling department after posting 266 for five in the fourth ODI in Lucknow.

Surely, having played a limited-over series against Pakistan at home before landing in the country helped South Africa get into the groove. On the other hand, it was India's first series in a year since the lockdown. Rustiness was visible, so was their lack of depth in pace bowling.

On a flat wicket where the run-scoring became relatively easier in the second innings, the hosts went with one pacer and four spinners, with the experienced Jhulan Goswami missing the match due to hand injury. Given that they had also left out pacer Skihha Pandey and left-arm spinner Ekta Bisht — two wicket-taking options — India looked hapless despite posting a competitive total at the Ekana Stadium.

Just as how Harmanpreet Kaur emphasised that they needed more time to prepare "as a unit to find the rhythm" after the team lost the first ODI, skipper Mithali on Sunday admitted that lack of preparation before the series was one of the reasons for the defeat.

"Even if we scored more than 266, it wouldn't be enough, the way the South Africans batted," said Mithali after the match. "Our bowling department need to work on preparation before a series. We lacked that. We are not a bad fielding side but there are things we can improve on. We missed Jhulan's experience but it was an opportunity for the other bowlers to step up and take responsibility. Our spin department is experienced. I expect them to come back stronger."

That preparation or the lack of it was more evident in the second innings. South Africa made use of the conditions which were favourable for bating as their top four batters scored a fifty each to make the chase look easy. However, what also helped them was the fact that India bowlers provided them with the width to score. They didn't create enough chances to strangle top-heavy South Africa and hardly posed a threat.
With the focus primarily on building a core contingent and trying out different combinations ahead of the next year's World Cup, it was a reality check of sorts for India not just in the bowling but also in the fielding.

"It was a good total. But we need more discipline in the bowling unit," said Punam. "South Africa showed us how good a fielding side they were today. We also need to work on our fielding. Of course, coming off a long break, we are working on our combinations. I'm sure, we will learn from our mistakes and do well in the upcoming matches."

India would hope that that happens sooner than later with the World Cup not less than a year away.

Brief scores: India women 266/4 in 50 ovs (Punam 104 n.o, Harmanpreet 54, Mithali 45) lost to SA 269/3 in 48.4 ovs (Lizelle 69, Mignon 61, Goodall 59 n.o, Laura 53).