Kamini, Deepti steer Indian eves to clinch ODI series against Kiwis

The Indian women cricket team won the fifth and deciding One-Day International and thereby clinched the series 3-2 against New Zealand on Wednesday here at M Chinnaswamy Stadium, thanks to a disciplined bowling performance and Thirush Kamini's solid unbeaten half-ton.

Opting to bat first, New Zealand failed to get a promising start and were eventually bundled out for a paltry 118 after wilting under pressure against a disciplined bowling unit. Suzie Bates made 42 as she remained as the top-scorer for the tourists.

Anna Peterson and Sophie Devine were the other notable contributors as they scored 22 and 18 respectively.

While Jhulan Goswami, Rajeshwari Gayakwad and Deepti Sharma shared six wickets between them, Ekta Bisht and Harmanpreet Kaur claimed one wicket each.

In reply, although Indian eves lost opener Smriti Mandhana (13) early, Kamini (62) found an able ally in Deepti (44) as the duo shared an unbeaten 103-run partnership for the second wicket to lead the hosts to an emphatic victory within 27.2 overs.

With the win, India secured their first series win since January 2014 when they outclassed Sri Lanka 3-0 at home.