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.
Some sloppy fielding, catch drops and a poor spell of 8.2 overs by pacer Prasidh Krishna in which he conceded 82 runs, became the point of difference.
The incident occurred in the 22nd over of South Africa innings when Harshit was found to have gestured in the direction of the dressing room when he dismissed Proteas batter Dewald Brevis.
India wrapped up their innings in the 2nd ODI at Raipur with an imposing 358/5, putting South Africa under significant pressure.
Kohli’s record-extending 52nd ODI hundred and Rohit’s brisk 57 had set the tone for India’s 17-run win in the Ranchi opener, although the bowlers were pushed deep into the contest by a spirited South African counterattack.
The game was highlighted by Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma’s innings, each of them creating a new record in their much-awaited return on home soil since February.
