Mandhana stars again in Indian women's series-clinching win against New Zealand
Mount Maunganui, Jan 29: Opener Smriti Mandhana led the chase for India with familiar panache after a feisty bowling performance that steered the side to a series-clinching eight-wicket triumph over New Zealand Women in the second one-dayer here Tuesday.
Opting to field, India produced an excellent effort to bowl out New Zealand for a paltry 161 in 44.2 overs before player of the match Mandhana (90 not out) and skipper Mithali Raj (63 not out) stitched a 151-run unbroken third-wicket stand to guide the team to an easy win.
The duo resurrected the Indian run chase from 15 for 2 after the early loss of opener Jemimah Rodrigues (0) and Deepti Sharma (8).
"It feels great but I think our bowlers deserved the player of the match award more than me. I will give it away to our bowlers, they did a great job to restrict New Zealand on a good wicket," Mandhana said in the post-match presentation.
The 22-year-old Mandhana has been in excellent form in recent times and Tuesday's half century was her eighth in the last 10 ODI innings. She hit 105 in the first match of the ongoing series.
On Tuesday, she took just 82 deliveries in her unbeaten knock of 90.
Raj, on the other hand, faced 111 deliveries in her sedate knock 63. But, she was a perfect counterfoil to the aggressive Mandhana.
Raj completed the run chase in style with a six as India reached to 166 for 2 in 35.2 overs.
"I am happy with the way the team is shaping up. I have always enjoyed batting in challenging conditions. It wasn't easy, it required patience here. Smriti is in good form and somebody had to give her support," Raj said.
India have now taken an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match contest, which is part of the ICC Women's Championship series. The visiting side beat New Zealand in the first one-dayer by nine wickets at the same venue on January 24. The third and final match of the series is scheduled to be held in Hamilton on February 1.
It was a fitting revenge for the Indian team, which had lost the home leg of the ICC Women's Championship series 1-2 to New Zealand during the last cycle that ran from 2014-2016.
New Zealand are ranked second in the ICC Women's Championship table and are guaranteed a direct entry into the 50-over World Cup being the hosts.
Just like the first match, India opted to field and shot New Zealand out for a paltry 161 with senior pacer Jhulan Goswami grabbing 3 wickets for 23 to lead the Indian bowling charge.
The spin trio of Ekta Bisht, Poonam Yadav and Deepti Sharma, who had tormented New Zealand in India's nine-wicket win in the first ODI, took two wickets each to stifle the Kiwi innings yet again.
New Zealand captain Amy Satterthwaite top-scored with a 71 off 87 balls before she became Yadav's first victim in the 34th over. But she got little support from her other team-mates.
"Frustrated to be honest, not putting enough runs on the board. Just comes down to that really," she said after the match.
New Zealand made a disastrous start with opener Suzie Bates being dismissed for a nought off the fourth ball.
The home side were 62 for 5 in the 21st over and despite a spirited effort from Satterthwaite, they were all out for 161 in 44.2 overs, failing to bat through their full quota of overs for the second time in a row.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Jharkhand horror: Man kills live-in partner, chops body into 40 pieces
Ranchi (PTI): A 25-year-old man, who works as a butcher, allegedly strangled to death his live-in partner and chopped her body into 40 to 50 pieces in a forested area in Jharkhand’s Khunti district, police said on Wednesday.
The accused, identified as Naresh Bhengra, was arrested.
The matter came to light after around a fortnight after the killing when a stray dog was found with human body parts near Jordag village in Jariagarh police station on November 24.
Bhengra was in a live-in relationship with the deceased, a 24-year-old woman also from Khunti district, in Tamil Nadu for the past couple of years. Sometime back, he returned to Jharkhand, got married to another woman without telling his partner anything and went back to the southern state without his wife to join her.
"The brutal incident occurred on November 8 when they reached Khunti as the accused who had married another woman did not wish to take her home. Instead, he took her to a forest near his house at Jordag village in Jariagarh police station and chopped the body into pieces. The man has been arrested," Khunti Superintendent of Police Aman Kumar told PTI.
Inspector Ashok Singh who investigated the case said the man worked in a butcher shop in Tamil Nadu and was expert in slicing chicken.
“He admitted chopping the body parts of the woman into 40 to 50 pieces before leaving those in the forest for wild animals to feast on. The police recovered several parts on November 24 after a dog in the area was seen with a hand," Singh told PTI.
Singh said that the woman, who was unaware of his marriage, pressured him to return to Khunti. After reaching Ranchi, they boarded a train on November 24 and headed to the man's village.
"Under a plan, the man took her to Khunti in an autorickshaw near his home and asked her to wait. He returned with sharp weapons and strangulated her with her dupatta after raping her. He then cut the body into 40 to 50 pieces and left for his home to live with his wife," Singh said.
The woman, however, had informed her mother that she had boarded a train and would be living with her partner, the police officer said.
Following the recovery of body parts, a bag was also found in the forest with the murdered woman's belongings including her Aadhaar card. The mother of the woman was called at the spot and she identified her daughter's belongings.
"The mother suspected the man behind the crime who after being nabbed by the police admitted to chopping the woman into pieces," the official added.
The incident has sent shockwaves among people in the region, with the Shraddha Walker murder case of 2022 still fresh in their memory.
Walker was killed by her live-in partner who chopped her body into pieces before dumping them in the jungle in South Delhi’s Mehrauli.
