finishes off with a boundary! Mandhana's second streak of three consecutive boundaries tonight. A short one at middle stump and she pulls it well in front of deep square to seal the win for her team
SA Women vs IND Women, 3rd T20I at Lucknow, IND-W v SA-W, Mar 23 2021 - Ball by Ball Commentary
IND Women won by 9 wickets (with 54 balls remaining)
9.42pm Luus sprints across to her team-mates and they pose before they get to take a second trophy home. This has been a big, big tour for South Africa - they've gone well against the odds and been clinical to take five wins out of seven limited-overs games. Plenty to write home about, and a nice little base of youngsters to propel them forward. We thank you for joining us tonight. Watch out for the post-match pieces coming. Good night!
Sune Luus: I think it was a brilliant series for us in India, to take two series wins home, so it's still a special one for us regardless of the result today. There's a lot of positives, a lot of youngsters have put up their hands. Our coaches and management can be extremely proud. It's important for them to get opportunities, we're not always going to have our big stars. When Shafali plays like today, it's very difficult to stop her. She's going to be a legend in the game, I think. It's been a magical tour, everyone's very excited.
Smriti Mandhana: At the end coming out and being the winning captain...it was a good show overall. Shafali stole the show, but this victory goes to the bowlers. I think the second match we did pretty well and 80% of the time we were in winning positions. The toss is important but I don't think we can use that as an excuse. Somewhere we lacked in the first two matches but we came back, really proud of the girls. After losing the series in the second match, it needs a lot of motivation to come back in the third match. But Raman sir said this is still an international match, so we came back with a positive mind.
Shafali Verma: (translated) I practice hitting the long sixes. I learn from every series and go home to work on it. From the moment I put my hands on a bat, I only wanted to hit the ball hard. Unless I hit a few, I don't feel confident, so that's the way I go about it.
Shafali Verma is the Player of the Series.
Rajeshwari Gayakwad:(translated from Hindi) Didn't try anything new, just wanted to bowl as many dot balls as possible and that was the singular focus. Just wanted to keep it tight to the stumps and they fell to that. We've worked really hard without getting the results, but we'll keep at it and hope.
Rajeshwari Gayakwad is the Player of the Match.
9.20pm India have been at the receiving end through much of the time South Africa have been in town, but they finish on a massive high. Completely obliterated South Africa tonight, with relentlessly tight bowling and then a blitzkrieg with the bat. Shafali Verma started the chase with 18 runs off the first over and that signaled the end for South Africa. At no point did they come close to troubling India after that. Mandhana hitting her free-flowing, elegant self too at the other end, staying unbeaten on a 28-ball 48 that gives India a nine-wicket win with nine overs to spare.
chopped past short third. Short of a length and at off stump, enough time to open the face and put this away with authority
carved over the infield. Full at the stumps, backs away to open up the off side where all the square fielders are in. And she clears them
Highest % of runs coming through boundaries in a Women's T20I innings: (Min: 50 runs)
97.14 - Sophie Devine (68/70) vs IND, 2015
96.67 - Shafali Verma (58/60) vs SA, Today
full outside off, driven to extra cover's left
JIMIT RAJA: "Look at the two worms for the two innings! No intersection whatsoever! Says a lot about how clinical India have been!"
length at off stump, leans in for the drive, too early into it. Rolls into the stumps at the other end
full at middle stump, flicked to midwicket
full and a flowing cover drive, straight to extra cover
full at leg stump, driven to midwicket
short and wide outside off, chopped to third man's right
full outside off, driven on the front foot to mid-off
good length at off stump, blocked on the front foot
short of a length and just outside off, punched off the back foot to sweeper's right
14 to win. Can India finish this before the halfway mark? For scale, South Africa had got about 30 in the first ten, with two boundaries in that period.
short of a length outside off, cut straight to backward point
short of a length and skidding on outside off, backs away too far for the cut and gets a thick outside edge. Bosch gives chase from backward point and slides a few yards, left-arm outstretched to pull this back in. Her forearm is close to the boundary padding so they're checking to see if she was touching it. And they think she's done enough
short of a length outside off, waits and opens the face to steer to backward point's right
George Koen: "What a turn around for both teams. Cases of, 'IWe have to win at least one game,' or, 'We have won the series anyway'. ....? Or just plain old cricket"
they get her at last! A sharp take from Shabnim Ismail at long-on. It's a length ball that skids on. No turn into her, so she ends up fetching it. Shabnim keeps her eyes as she sprints inwards and to her right, holds on as she goes to floor. Shafali walks off to standing ovation. Stunning innings
full on middle stump, driven straight to midwicket
long-on interested briefly but she isn't close to this. Tossed up full at middle stump, gets on one knee and drills this with the turn. Clean and far
oh gentle and effective. Good length and outside off, shuffles and simply opens the face to find the massive gap between point and short third. Simply steered that off the front foot
length at off stump, steps out and drives to long-on