Poonam Raut and Mithali Raj shared an unbeaten 127-run stand as India defeated South Africa by eight wickets in the final of the Women’s Quadrangular Series here on Sunday.
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Veteran Jhulan Goswami starred with the ball with three wickets, helping India dismiss South Africa for a paltry 156 in 40.2 overs.
Raut (70 off 92 ) and Raj (62 off 79) then delivered with the bat, taking India to a comfortable win in 33 overs after a rather jittery start to the chase.
The win was more sweet considering India had lost to South Africa in the league stages.
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Captain Mithali not only guided the team to a resounding win, but also became the first Indian to lead the side in 100 ODIs.
The tournament also turned out to be good preparation for India ahead of the World Cup, which begins in the UK next month.
Both Raut and Raj displayed top form throughout the tournament. Raut had scored an unbeaten 109 against Ireland while Raj came to the final after scoring two half—centuries.
Chasing a modest target, India lost opener Deepti Sharma and Mona Meshram cheaply before Raut and Raj completed the job in a clinical fashion.
The scores: South Africa 156 in 40.2 overs (Luus 55, Goswami three for 22) lost to India 160 for two in 33 overs (Poonam Raut 70 not out, Mithali Raj 62 not out).