Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur’s unbeaten 47 and a 71-run stand with Jemimah Rodrigues lifted India, but a late collapse restricted them to 157/7 against South Africa in the 1st Women’s T20I at Durban.
Sunil Gavaskar pointed to the contrasting approaches of Dewald Brevis and David Miller, who rebuilt the Proteas innings after early setbacks by playing straighter and assessing the pitch conditions intelligently.
India’s innings ended at 111 all out in 19.4 overs, leaving them 76 runs short of the target set by South Africa.
India and South Africa have been flawless so far in the tournament, topping their respective groups with perfect records and carrying strong momentum into the knockout-like Super 8 stage.
According to Ravi Shastri, the only selection dilemma for India will be whether to go with Axar or Sundar.
With Bumrah unavailable for the match at the HPCA Stadium due to personal reasons, Arshdeep and Rana were handed the responsibility of taking the new ball on Sunday.
After the spinners and seamers combined to bundle out South Africa for 117 in seam-friendly conditions, India chased down 118 with 25 balls to spare.
The match is scheduled to begin at 7:00 PM IST, with the toss at 6:30 PM IST. India dominated the opening encounter, registering a comprehensive 101-run victory. All-rounder Hardik Pandya starred with a match-winning performance.
Reflecting on Gill’s struggles, ten Doeschate suggested that the added responsibility of leadership across formats may have influenced his mindset.
At the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, New Chandigarh, India endured an ordinary outing with both ball and bat. The bowlers leaked 213/4, spraying 15 wides, while the batting unit failed to mount a serious chase apart from Tilak Varma’s fighting 62, eventually folding for 162.
