Follow UsIndia captain Harmanpreet Kaur scored a scintillating century to power her team to a historic tour sweep of England as they beat the hosts in the third One Day International (ODI) to win the three-match ODI series 2-1, having already won the five-match T20I series 3-2.
However, the sweep would not have been possible if not for a young Kranti Gaud bringing out her best and taking a six-wicket haul, becoming the youngest woman to achieve the feat in ODIs.
While Harman was awarded Player of the Match and rightly so for her brilliant 102 off just 84 balls which led India to 318/5, Gaud, who took 6/52, could not get the same award. If not for the timely wickets by Gaud, especially those of Alice Davidson-Richards and Charlie Dean, England might have run away with the chase.
The duo had added 36 in 29 and looked threatening with England needing 55 from the last five overs. However, Gaud got the better of both of them to give India the 13-run win and thereby the series.
Looking at the importance of the youngster's role, India skipper Harmanpreet, in a special and emotional gesture, shared the Player of the Match Award with Gaud, saying, “This is for you, I am sharing this with you, OK!”.
Gaud’s performance only boosted India’s preparation for the ODI World Cup to be hosted by them in 2025. It also opened another door for a fast bowler to become a serial match winner, which no one was able to do post Jhulan Goswami’s retirement.