India registered a convincing win over South Africa by 10 wickets in the third T20I of the three-match T20I series at M. A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Tuesday, July 09. Pooja Vastrakar and Radha Yadav shone with the ball and bowled South Africa out for a below-par total. Later Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma did an excellent job and reached the target within 11 overs.
With an overwhelming 10-wicket victory in the third and final Twenty20 International, India concluded their series against Proteas on a strong note. This victory followed an outstanding effort by India during the series, which saw them win the one-off Test match and thrash South Africa 3-0 in the ODIs. In the Twenty20 International series, India showed tenacity and skill to win handily despite a rocky beginning.
India’s T20I series got off to a bad start as they were unable to chase a target of 190 in the opening game. India needed to win the series with a solid showing in the last match as the second game washed out. The bowlers performed admirably, securing a straightforward victory in the pivotal encounter.
South Africa, batting first, immediately targeted boundaries on a pitch that felt notably slower than any of the previous ones in the series. The ball held up, which gave the bowlers a lot of help. Other than Tazmin Brits, no hitter from South Africa reached the 20-run threshold.
After India decided to field, Laura Wolvaardt and Marizanne Kapp were down early, attempting to produce some valiant strokes in the powerplay. However, Tazmin Brits, who had just scored two fifties in a row, seemed to have settled down and picked up the tempo when she hit two boundaries off Shreyanka Patil in the sixth over. Although in her attempt to accelerate, she was caught by Harmapreet Kaur’s outstanding catch at mid-off, giving Deepti Sharma a wicket. In 7.4 overs, South Africa was at 45 for 3.
If Deepti had held onto a return opportunity given by Chloe Tryon, two balls after the Brits were out of the game, she may have taken a second wicket. Tryon was spared by the angle in the ninth over of the innings, which came after she had played across an inswinger and almost avoided being leg before wicket by Arundhati Reddy. A few overs later, Reddy would finally win the head-to-head with a hard-length delivery that Tryon nicked at point.
Vastrakar made her mark on the match between Tryon’s wicket and the LBW reprieve with a game-changing over that saw South Africa move from 57 for 3 in 10 overs to 61 for 5 in 11. As Anneke Bosch moved over, she caught her with a length ball that zipped in to lodge in her front. After getting forged past point for a boundary on the previous delivery, it was a great comeback. Vastrakar got Nadine de Klerk to chop on with a longer delivery two balls later.
Radha Yadav bowled with remarkable rhythm, taking three wickets, while Pooja Vastrakar bowled a blistering spell that claimed four. In 17.1 overs, South Africa was dismissed for a meager 84 runs.
The pitch was good for 130–140, but the South African hitters gave up trying to get a higher total. They labored and failed because the ball did not come onto the bat, unlike the first two Twenty20 Internationals where they tried to hit the straight boundaries. They tried to strike hard and outside the line.
India defeated their petite target of 85 with relative ease. Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana, the openers, appeared at ease, and the South African bowlers were unable to match their domination.
This series led to two important discoveries. First, the slow conditions made it difficult for the South African bowlers to adjust, and they were unable to make good use of slower balls and slower bouncers.
The South African spinners failed to modify their pace effectively, even in the face of conditions akin to those that will be encountered in Bangladesh for the forthcoming T20 World Cup. In these kinds of situations, bowlers should aim for a speed of 74–77 mph.
Second, though a little too late in the series, Marizanne Kapp, South Africa’s most reliable and deadly bowler, finally took the ball. Even though she bowled just two overs for three runs, Kapp had an effect right away, hitting Smriti with a gem of a delivery. Her performance was one of the series’ biggest pluses for South Africa.
India dominated the series overall. The team performed as planned, giving head coach Amol Muzumdar and skipper Harmanpreet Kaur every reason to be happy. The main positives for South Africa were the form of their skipper, Laura Wolvaardt, and Kapp’s comeback to bowling.
India will now turn their attention to the Asia Cup, where they will play Pakistan on July 19 in Sri Lanka. The South African athletes will, in the meantime, report to their individual teams in preparation for The Hundred, which gets underway on July 23.
Brief Scores: India vs South Africa 3rd T20I
South Africa 84 in 17.1 overs (Tazmin Brits 20, Anne Bosch 17; Pooja Vastrakar 4-13, Radha Yadav 3-6) lost to India 88 for no loss in 10.5 overs (Smriti Mandhana 54*, Shafali Verma 27*) by 10 wickets
Click Here to get the latest news related to Women’s Cricket. You can also check about Match predictions here. Like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram for more updates.
