India won the series on the basis of Deepti’s all-round bravery.

India 167 for 5 wickets (Deepti 39*, Harmanpreet 32, Rodrigues 29, Ghosh 23*) defeated west indies 162 (Henry 61, Campbell 46, Deepti 6-31, Renuka 4-29) by five wickets

While Deepti worked hard, with the help of luck when she was dropped by Hayley Mathews at slip on 21, Richa Ghosh gave her the finishing touch. Ghosh, who came to bat with India’s score at 129 for 5, reduced the fears of collapse by hitting one four and three sixes in his quick innings of 23 runs in 11 balls. This included back-to-back sixes from legspinner Afi Fletcher, which made it difficult for India to chase the target.

In the shadow of the collapse, Henry, playing his first ODI of the series, rebuilt the innings. Initially he struggled to get bat to ball, scoring 3 runs from 17. Then out of nowhere, she took a release shot to hit a six off debutant left-arm spinner Tanuja Kanwar.

During his third half-century, Henry played some good short cuts and glides. At the other end, Campbell showed positivity against spin. She attacked legspinner Priya Mishra early and hit three fours in her second over. After using his legs to launch two stunning drives – one down the ground and the other through cover – he shuffled backwards to pull Mishra for the third time as he missed.

The 91-run partnership for the fourth wicket excited the audience as much as it disappointed India. That’s when Deepti came into the game and made a remarkable contribution.

Campbell’s blood started flowing rapidly due to Deepti’s big shot, but Pratika Rawal took an easy catch at long on. In the next over, Zaida James was brilliantly caught in the slips by Harmanpreet as Deepti drove through the rough.

It could have been a triple-strike for India, but Renuka dropped the simplest of return catches through the leading edge, relieving Aliya Alleyne on 0. However, Alleyne could only score 21 runs, falling to a tame chip at short midwicket. Alleyne’s wicket came soon after Henry was dismissed for her third ODI half-century, when she was bowled by a straight ball. West Indies lost its last 5 wickets for 21 runs.

India’s counter innings started in nervous fashion as they lost Smriti Mandhana and Harleen Deol early in the power play against the spinning ball. Pratika Raval also missed a big chance to build a strong base in her first two ODIs when she was out to mid-on while trying to hit against the offspin of Mathews.

India captain Harmanpreet then picked up the pieces and put up a brilliant display of cover driving. After starting with two fours off her first five balls, she proceeded to pierce Dottin’s packed off-side ring with three fours in the ninth over and quickly reached 23 off 13.

Harmanpreet looked in tremendous form as she played back to be bowled by a skidder ball from Afi Fletcher. The wicket briefly got the crowd excited, but India were not to be let down as Deepti, Jemimah Rodrigues and Ghosh all played good hands to give them victory.