The high-flying Bangladesh women’s team were brought back to earth by India on Wednesday with a crushing 108-run defeat in the second One-Day International (ODI) at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka on Wednesday.
Jemimah Rodrigues was India’s star player both with the bat and ball. The right-hander first top-scored with 86 off 78 balls to help the visitors post 228-8 and then finished with remarkable figures of 4-3 in 3.1 overs to bowl out Bangladesh for 120 in 35.1 overs.
After registering their first ever win over India in the 50-over format, the Bangladeshi girls came into the second ODI with a maiden series win over India in the offing.
Having won the toss, Bangladesh invited the Indian team to bat first. Pacer Marufa Akter, who had bagged four wickets in the first ODI, drew first blood by uprooting the stumps of Priya Punia (seven off 13 balls) in the fifth over.
Marufa was again in the thick of things in the 11th over when she managed to deflect the ball to the non-striker’s end with her finger tips to dismiss Yastika Bhatia (15 off 23 balls).
Leg-spinner Rabeya Khan, who had picked three wickets in the previous game, then bowled Mandhana for 36 to reduce India to 68-3.
Jemimah and captain Harmanpreet Kaur then rescued India from a difficult situation. The duo added 80 runs before Kaur had to leave the field to nurse an injury.
Harleen Deol also gave Jemimah good company as the pair added 58 runs off 61 balls before the former got caught off Nahida Akter after making 25.
Kaur then rejoined Jemimah and completed her fifty before departing for 52.
Jemimah, on the other hand, was galloping towards a well-deserved century. But her entertaining innings, which contained nine fours, ended in the penultimate over when she got stumped by Nigar off Nahida.
In the second innings, the odds were stacked against the Bangladesh women’s team, who had never chased 229 runs in an ODI before.
The pressure of the mounting target got the better of the top-order as Bangladesh lost three wickets for just 38 runs inside 14 overs.
Fargana Hoque and Ritu Moni then formed a 68-run partnership to steady the innings and keep Bangladesh in with a chance.
But once Devika Vaidya broke the partnership by dismissing Fargana for 47 off 81 balls, the Bangladesh innings fell apart.
Bangladesh lost their final seven wickets for just 14 runs in a spectacular batting collapse with Jemimah doing the bulk of the damage, claiming four of the seven wickets.
With the result, India have levelled the series 1-1. Jemimah was deservedly named the player of the match.
The third and series-deciding ODI will take place on 22 July at the same venue.
Earlier, Bangladesh lost a Twenty20 series against the same opponents 1-2.