India Women vs South Africa Women, 5th T20I, Surat: Preview, predictions, likely XIs

The fourth T20I (second, technically, for there was no play in the second and third) of the 5-match series between India Women and South Africa Women turned out to be significantly more one-sided than the first. South Africa, never quite in the hunt once India put up 140/4 in 17 overs, crawled to 89/7, losing by 51 runs.

The series was originally scheduled to feature 5 matches, but the boards have agreed to add another match. In other words, while India Women cannot lose the series, they still need another win to clinch the series.

India’s batting was the refreshing Shafali Verma. All of 15, Verma launched a furious onslaught at the top, racing to 46 in 33 balls. Smriti Mandhana scratched through uncharacteristically, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet Kaur, and Deepti Sharma all contributed with cameos.

Tazmin Brits and Laura Wolvaardt played cautiously, preferring to keep wickets in hand. At one stage South Africa needed 92 in 54 balls with 9 wickets in hand, but then, rather predictably, their middle order caved in against spinners, especially Poonam Yadav (3-0-13-3) and Radha Yadav (3-0-16-2).

The Indians still look firm favourites for the final T20I as well on this slow, low pitch that suits their brand of bowling so well. The tourists need to pull off something exceptional, an effort that may start with some improvement on their atrocious catching in the second T20I.

Head to head

India Women have won 6 matches to South Africa Women’s 1. The latter’s only win had came at home in 2017-18 – in a series India had won 3-1.

Key players

Poonam Yadav (India Women): The third-ranked bowler according to ICC, Poonam has been India’s leading bowler over the past few years. The South Africans tried to play her from the crease in the first T20I and tried using their feet in the second, but both failed. They need to figure her out to pull off an upset.

Tumi Sekhukhune (South Africa Women): South Africa lack a world-class spinner, but Sekhukhune has taken pace off the ball smartly this series, as she had done in the series against the Bangladesh Emerging Women in August. With an economy rate of 6.26, she may hold the key for the tourists.

Likely XIs

India Women: Shafali Verma, Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Deepti Sharma, Veda Krishnamurthy, Pooja Vastrakar, Taniya Bhatia (wk), Shikha Pandey, Radha Yadav, Poonam Yadav.

South Africa Women: Lizelle Lee (wk), Tazmin Brits, Laura Wolvaardt, Nadine de Klerk, Mignon du Preez, Sune Luus (c), Lara Goodall, Shabnim Ismail, Ayabonga Khaka, Nonkululeko Mlaba, Tumi Sekhukhune.

Prediction

India Women to make it 3-0.