South Africa delivered a measured, high-impact all-round display to beat India by eight wickets in the second T20I at Durban, clinching the five-match series 2-0. Three-wicket bursts from Chloe Tryon and Tumi Sekhukhune set the tone, while Laura Wolvaardt and Sune Luus anchored the chase with half-centuries as the Proteas reached 148 with 2.5 overs to spare.
South Africa’s chase
- India were restricted to 147, and South Africa began their response in a confident manner, keeping the target within easy reach.
- During the Powerplay, boundaries came from both ends as Luus struck Shreyanka Patil for a six and South Africa raced to 66 without loss.
- The early bowling phase saw Kranti Gaud bowl a couple of overs, while India’s other options in the first six overs leaned heavily on spin.
- That strategy failed to contain Wolvaardt and Luus, with the partnership steadily accelerating and putting the Indian bowlers under pressure.
- After the fielding restrictions were lifted, South Africa maintained momentum: Wolvaardt hit a six and a four off Shree Charani, and then a boundary off Arundhati Reddy helped her steer the chase toward a 30-ball fifty.
- The opening stand pushed beyond 100 before India finally broke through, with Wolvaardt mistiming a lofted attempt off Shreyanka, caught at long-on.
- Luus followed up with a 41-ball half-century, and Tazmin Britts provided support as South Africa moved to 123/1 after 15 overs.
- Luus’ innings ended when she was dismissed trying to sweep, but the damage had already been done—Britts and Annerie Dercksen carried the chase over the line without trouble.
How India’s innings unfolded
- Put into bat, India started with early momentum and then managed the middle phase before losing control sharply at the death.
- Shafali Verma set the tempo from the outset, keeping the scoring rate moving steadily.
- Smriti Mandhana contributed a quick 12 before being removed by Chloe Tryon, but Shafali continued to dominate, picking up boundaries and reaching a 31-ball fifty in her 100th T20I appearance at just 22 years of age.
- Anushka Sharma rotated the strike effectively, adding pressure whenever she found her openings as India reached 78/2 at the halfway point.
- The 28-run stand between Shafali and Anushka (28 off 31) offered early stability, though it also concealed how South Africa gradually tightened their grip through spin.
- Tryon delivered a decisive double blow inside the Powerplay, removing Mandhana and Jemimah Rodrigues and preventing India from building a platform.
- Nonkululeko Mlaba then helped slow the flow through the middle overs, tightening the run rate while India struggled to find rhythm.
- Shafali’s dismissal in the 14th over—taken by Nadine de Klerk—became a key turning point, and Anushka had already been sent back an over earlier by Tryon.
- The collapse that followed was both quick and sustained: Deepti Sharma and Richa Ghosh fell cheaply, while Harmanpreet Kaur’s brief stay ended with a sharp wicketkeeping effort that produced a run-out at a critical juncture.
- There were brief late sparks from Arundhati Reddy and Shree Charani, but the innings never regained the fluency it had shown earlier.
India lost their final eight wickets for 48 runs and were bowled out for a total that proved insufficient. South Africa’s bowlers and batters combined to take command early and finish decisively—securing an eight-wicket win in 17.1 overs.
Brief scores: India 147 (20 overs) (Shafali Verma 57, Anushka Sharma 28) lost to South Africa 148/2 (17.1 overs) (Sune Luus 57, Laura Wolvaardt 54) by 8 wickets. Chloe Tryon 3-22, Tumi Sekhukhune 3-31; Shreyanka Patil 2-35.
