'We saw in WPL how Bengaluru crowd supported us' - Smriti, Harmanpreet expect jampacked stadium for 3rd ODI against SA

The talismanic Indian duo of Harmanpreet Kaur and Smriti Mandhana urged the fans to come in huge numbers to support the Women in Blue as they face South Africa in the final ODI on Sunday, June 23, at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.

India have taken an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series after winning the first two games at the same venue. In the first game, the hosts registered a comfortable 143-run win after Mandhana scored a spectacular century. She repeated the feat in the second ODI, and her captain also amassed a ton as India posted a daunting score of 325/3 in their 50 overs. However, the Proteas didn't capitulate like the first game and gave a great account of themselves with the bat, eventually falling short by just four runs.

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The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) posted a video on their social media handles, where Kaur and Mandhana hoped to see more fans coming out to support the team in the third ODI at the Chinnaswamy.

“Ek last match bachi hai Bangalore mein [One more match to go in Bengaluru]. Crowd abhi tak bohot sahi raha hai Bangalore mein [Crowd has been quite good so far in Bengaluru]. But hopefully, Sunday ko match hai, and we can see more stands opening up. We saw it in WPL (Women's Premier League), jis tarah se inhone support kara tha [How they supported the team]” Smriti said.

Also Read: Smriti Mandhana climbs to third spot in ODI batter rankings post Bengaluru blitz

Kaur reckoned that after the high-scoring thriller in the second ODI, there is a high possibility that more people will come to watch the match on Sunday.

“I'm sure aaj ka jo match dekhne ke baad to aur crowd ayega, aur hopefully humlog accha karenge [I'm sure more fans will flock to the stadium for the third ODI after watch the high-octance second game],” the right-handed batter said.

Watch the video here:

After the third ODI, the South African team will lock horns in a one-off Test in Chennai, beginning on June 28. Laura Wolvaardt and Co. will then compete in a three-match T20I series before culminating the tour.