Suffering a heavy blow in their preparations, India slumped to a third straight defeat as South Africa clinched an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match T20I series, with skipper Harmanpreet Kaur admitting her side had “no answers” to the hosts’ batting onslaught.
India posted a competitive 192/4, powered by a fluent 66 from Harmanpreet and an aggressive 64 from Shafali Verma. The visitors looked in control with key partnerships, including a 73-run stand between Harmanpreet and Shafali.
However, the total proved insufficient as South Africa chased it down comfortably, led by captain Laura Wolvaardt, who smashed a record 115. Alongside Sune Luus, she stitched together a massive 183-run opening stand that completely took the game away from India.
“We were really looking at the score and that wasn’t that bad. We would have put a really decent total on the board, but I think we should give credit to the South Africa batters the way they batted, and I think they didn’t give us a single chance to come back in the game… I know we didn’t have any second answer for them,” Harmanpreet said after the match.
India’s bowling unit struggled throughout, with Shreyanka Patil the only wicket-taker (1/30). The lack of breakthroughs in the powerplay proved costly, something Harmanpreet acknowledged.
“When we looked at the bowling, I think it didn’t go as well as we had hoped. We were definitely looking for a few wickets in the powerplay… but unfortunately, for six overs, they were quite expensive. The bowling really needed to improve… we are not up to the mark,” she added.
With the Women’s T20 World Cup approaching, Harmanpreet stressed the need for quick improvements, particularly from the bowling unit.
“As a bowling group, we really need to work hard if we have to keep doing well in the future… it’s a lot of learning for us and we will try to get better in the next games.”
Despite the loss, the skipper found positives in her own return to form, scoring a brisk 66 off 38 balls.
“Always good to get a few runs for the team and contribute when it was needed the most… but I know I didn’t help the team win today,” she said.
India will now look to avoid a whitewash when the two sides face off in the fourth T20I at The Wanderers Stadium on Saturday.