India Women and South Africa Women will lock horns for the 2nd T20I on Sunday. This match is going to be make or break for India as they must win to stay alive in the series.
After putting up a strong performance in the three-match ODI series and the lone test match, the Indian women’s cricket team suffered a 12-run defeat to South Africa Women in the 1st of the three T20I held at M A Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai.
Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur and her side will look to bounce back and level the series at 1-1 in the three-match encounter in Chennai. Both openers, Smriti Mandhana and Shefali Verma, provided a solid start by adding 56 runs for the opening stand. Skipper Harmanpreet would want her girls to replicate this fiery start in the 2nd T20I as well.
Harmanpreet Kaur and Jemimah Rodrigues must continue their fine form into the 2nd T20I and score quickly. Despite their good runs of 35 and 53 respectively in the first T20I, they fell short by 12 runs, requiring 21 runs in the final over with 7 wickets in hand.
The hosts lost momentum in the middle overs, allowing South Africa back into the contest, as India managed just 49 runs between overs 7 and 14.
Meanwhile, the Indian bowlers Richa Singh, Pooja Vastrakar, and Deepti Sharma should find ways to counteract the bludgeoning South African opening pair of skipper Laura Wolvaardt and Tazmin Brits.
Wolvaardt, who missed out on a strong opening partnership, will be pleased to see Marizanna Kapp in red-hot form propelling South Africa to a good total in the first T20I. The quickfire 96-run partnership between Tazmin Brits and Marizanne Kapp set the tone for the match and propelled South Africa to 189.
Additionally, All-rounder Chloe Tryon’s return has boosted South Africa. A dynamic middle-order bat and a handy left-arm spinner, Tryon contributed 12 runs and took a wicket to keep South Africa in the hunt in the 1st T20I. She will aim to replicate her performance in the 2nd T20I as well.
Double Crown in the Offing
With the Women’s Asia Cup in Sri Lanka right around the corner and the Women’s T20 World Cup in Bangladesh scheduled in October, Indian Women will look to leave no stone unturned and finish strong with two games remaining. Meanwhile, the visitors will aim to seal the series and finish their India tour on a high after the series of losses they faced in ODIs and the test match.
Rain could play Spoilsport
Rain has rendered the Chepauk pitch placid, despite its traditional reputation for spin-friendly conditions. With thunderstorms predicted in the evening ahead of tomorrow’s 7 pm start, the match could turn into another potential high-scoring encounter like the 1st T20I, or in the worst case, it could be washed out.
