Indian women's cricket team suffered a narrow 12-run defeat in the first T20I match against South Africa women in Chennai on Friday, July 5. Tazmin Brits and Marizanne Kapp shone to help South Africa post a huge total of 189 and then bowlers made an impact to restrict India to a 177 total to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
Brits smashed 81 runs off just 56 balls and Kapp scored a quickfire fifty as the Proteas Women pulled off a big total at Chennai's MA Chidambaram Stadium. Indian batters also started well with in-form star Smriti Mandhana smashing 46 runs off 30 balls and Jemimah Rodrigues adding unbeaten 53 runs but fell 12 runs short of the target.
Batting first, openers Laura Wolvaardt and Brits gave the Proteas a strong start. The duo added 50 runs for the opening wicket to put South Africa on track for a big total. Radha Yadav gave India a breakthrough with Wolvaardt's big wicket in the eighth over but the hosts failed to build momentum in the middle over.
Brits and Kapp produced a potential match-defining stand of 96 runs for the second wicket with the latter smashing 57 runs off just 33 balls. Radha bagged her second wicket dismissing Kapp in the 17th over but Brit smashed 81 off 54 balls, her highest score in T20Is, to power South Africa to a total of 189/4 in 20 overs.
India also enjoyed a quickfire start with openers Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana scoring 56 runs for the first wicket inside powerplay overs. Shafali scored 18 runs before losing her wicket to Ayabonga Khaka in the sixth over but Smriti kept the runs flowing with a promising knock.
South Africa made a sensational comeback with successive wickets of Smriti and Dayalan Hemalatha. India once again managed to balance the game with skipper Harmanpreet Kaur and star batter Jemimah Rodrigues adding 90 runs for the fourth wicket and taking the game to the wire.
Rodrigues smashed a brilliant unbeaten fifty but India fell 12 runs short of the target. Rodrigues scored 53* off just 30 balls while Harmanpreet added 35 runs before losing her wicket on the last ball of the game. Britz bagged the Player of the Match award for her brilliant innings of 81 runs.
India Women Playing XI: Shafali Verma, Smriti Mandhana, Dayalan Hemalatha, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Richa Ghosh (wk), Deepti Sharma, Pooja Vastrakar, Radha Yadav, Asha Sobhana, Renuka Thakur Singh.
South Africa Women Playing XI: Laura Wolvaardt (c), Tazmin Brits, Marizanne Kapp, Anneke Bosch, Chloe Tryon, Nadine de Klerk, Annerie Dercksen, Eliz-mari Marx, Sinalo Jafta (wk), Ayabonga Khaka, Nonkululeko Mlaba.
More to follow...
