India to Sharpen T20 Tactics Against SA Before Asia Cup, WC
Before traveling to the Asia Cup and the T20 World Cup, the Indian women’s team will be keen to utilize the three-match T20I series against South Africa, which gets underway here on Friday, as a testing ground to hone its tactics.
This is actually India’s final bilateral white ball series before the ICC showcase in Bangladesh starting on October 4 and the Asia Cup in Sri Lanka starting on July 19.
The Harmanpreet Kaur-led team will do everything within their power to prepare for those major competitions with the greatest possible attitude.
Both in this one-off Test and in the previous three-match ODI series in Bengaluru, they showed indications of it.
Even though the Proteas managed to create small areas of conflict, the unwavering India managed to win every assignment.
India has participated in seven T20 International Series since 2023, winning three and losing four. Even if the distance were only a small one, they would still desire to merge.
India’s players from the first two legs of this series will provide them with some solace.
In the one-day internationals, Smriti Mandhana, the vice captain and standout batsman, dazzled with two hundreds and a fifty in three matches, while Harmanpreet made her mark with a hundred in the last match.
Shafali Verma’s subpar performance as the opener may have been the only startling aspect of that historic run, but she calmed fears with the fastest double century in women’s cricket history during this one-time Test match.
Richa Ghosh and Jemimah Rodrigues have also displayed signs of returning to form, and these batsmen are ranked first through fifth in India’s run-makers list in the shortest format.
The management of the team is therefore hoping for a faultless performance from this quintet against South Africa, who are coming off a disappointing performance against the Lankans at home in the Twenty20 Internationals.
On paper, India’s bowling attack appears to be particularly good as well. Arundhati Reddy, Renuka Singh, and Pooja Vastrakar are all accurate pacers, and Deepti Sharma, Radha Yadav, Asha Shobana, and Shreyanka Patil are all potent spinners.
From a South African standpoint, they will largely rely on captain Laura Wolvaardt to generate early momentum and runs up the order.
Wolvaardt showed her prolific side slamming a century each in the ODIs and in the one-off Test.
The opener’s form will be a crucial factor if SA want to win a T20I series since January last year when they prevailed in a home tri-series also involving India and the West Indies.
“We have played a lot of good cricket in patches, but to narrow it down, we have to be more consistent,” all-rounder Chloe Tryon had mentioned in the pre-match press meet.
But the tourists can’t lean on Wolvaardt alone as they need runs from Marizanne Kapp, Sune Luus, Anneke Bosch and Tazmin Brits.
Against this Indian batting lineup, Nonkululeko Mlaba, Masabata Klaas, Nadine de Klerk, and Ayabonga Khaka will need to perform at their very highest level.
The Proteas will also be hoping to receive a few overs from the seasoned Kapp, who hasn’t bowled in the series yet due to an injury but is expected to recover.
The MA Chidambaram pitch was smoother in the one-off Test even though it usually stays on the slow side.
In light of this, the teams will be monitoring its nature in advance of this series
India Women: Harmanpreet Kaur (C) Smriti Mandhana (vc), Uma Chetry (wk), Richa Ghosh (wk), Dayalan Hemalatha, Jemimah Rodrigues, Shafali Verma, Amanjot Kaur, Shreyanka Patil, Sajeevan Sajana, Deepti Sharma, Asha Sobhana, Arundhati Reddy, Renuka Singh, Shabnam Shakil, Pooja Vastrakar and Radha Yadav.
South Africa Women: Laura Wolvaardt (C), Tazmin Brits, Mieke de Ridder (wk), Sinalo Jafta (wk), Anneke Bosch, Nadine de Klerk, Annerie Dercksen, Marizanne Kapp, Sune Luus, Chloe Tryon, Ayabonga Khaka, Masabata Klaas, Eliz-Mari Marx, Nonkululeko Mlaba and Tumi Sekhukhune.
Match starts: 7.00 pm (IST).
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