India could not taste success in the tour as they lost to South Africa by 12 runs due to some splendid innings by Tazmin Brits and Marizanne Kapp and good bowling in the T20I. India’s fielding lapse allowed the Proteas in, and they made the most of it to reach a respectable 189/4.
Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana gave India a good start, but South African bowlers Ayabonga Khaka and Nadine de Klerk made it difficult for the batters. India’s Harmanpreet Kaur and Jemimah Rodrigues tried their level best to take India closer to the target, but the last over by Nonkululeko Mlaba restricted India to 145/9.
India will learn from their fielding mistakes!
South Africa Claims Victory in Opening Women’s T20I Against India
India lost the first of the five-match women’s T20 series to South Africa by 12 runs, and thus the visitors registered their first victory in the ongoing tour. Tazmin Brits and Marizanne Kapp produced powerful innings, and the bowlers also came up with a good show, which paved the way for this victory.
South Africa got set at 189 for four in bat after being sent in, largely due to the performances of Brits (81 off 56) and Kapp (57 off 33). Their combination, along with the Indian team’s poor fielding, made it a good score. Brits and Kapp stabilized the innings after Brits and South African captain Laura Wolvaardt (33) scored 50 runs in 43 balls.
India’s Strong Start Falters in T20I Chase Against South Africa
India then got off to a good start in their chase, with Shafali Verma scoring 18 off 14 balls and Smriti Mandhana scoring 46 off 30 balls for the first wicket in the T20I. But the dismissal of Verma by Ayabonga Khaka in the sixth over put a stop to that. Dayalan Hemalatha (14 off 17 balls) came in to join Mandhana, and the two added 31 runs before the Indian bowlers got into the act.
Mandhana continued her poor form and was dismissed by Chloe Tryon in the tenth over, and soon after that, Hemalatha was cleaned up by Nadine de Klerk as India reached 87 for three. She will look to turn around their less-than-average performances and bounce back at their next opportunity. For the last, skipper Harmanpreet Kaur and Jemimah Rodrigues came to the crease, played aggressive cricket, and got a 50-run partnership in 38 balls, which took the target to 47 off 18 balls.
Rodrigues’ Heroics Fall Short as South Africa Clinches Victory
The performances of both teams were good. Rodrigues scored her 11th T20I fifty in 29 balls. However, the target of 21 runs in the last over was very much impossible. Nonkululeko Mlaba bowled serenely and only conceded eight runs, contributing to the win for South Africa in that particular match.
South African bowlers were important, and four of them picked up wickets, and de Klerk was also very frugal. The match had some issues related to injuries; Richa Ghosh was replaced by S Sajana because of a concussion, and Brits had to be carried off the field due to cramps. However, she should be able to recover and be at full strength for the next match.
Brits and Kapp’s contribution made it possible for South Africa to achieve the highest T20I score against India. While the beginning was modest, tempers were set by Brits and Wolvaardt; the Indians’ blunders offered the South Africans a chance. The lack of bounce on the pitch also gave Kapp and Brits not much trouble sweeping the shot.
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