India Women vs South Africa Women, 6th T20I, Surat: Preview, predictions, likely XIs

Once again South Africa Women failed to reach the 100-mark. They fought hard, reducing India Women to 29/3, but Harmanpreet Kaur and Deepti Sharma took the match away from them with a 50-run partnership. India Women clinched the 6-match series (reduced to 4 matches) with a 3-0 lead, and will eye a clean sweep in the final match of the series.

However, India Women still have two concerns. First, they do not have a middle order that can explode in the final overs; and secondly, they do not have a second seamer. Despite playing all 3 matches, Pooja Vastrakar has bowled just 4 wicketless overs, conceding 30.

However, the Indian spinners – Deepti Sharma, Radha Yadav, Poonam Yadav, and Kaur herself – have been magnificent throughout the series, and there was no exception this time. All of them conceded fewer runs than they bowled balls as well as took at least one wicket. Shikha Pandey, too, stood out as the lone seamer.

The South Africans got starts. Six of them reached double figures, but none made it past 17. Not for the first time did they fail to accelerate against spin on a slow, low pitch where the ball turned significantly.

Shabnim Ismail, Ayabonga Khaka, Nadine de Klerk all bowled well but failed to dislodge Kaur. However, one cannot help but wonder how India would have coped had they lost Kaur along with the top three for cheap.

All in all, India Women will take field as favourites again.

Head to head

India Women have won 7 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

Harmanpreet Kaur (India Women): The home captain is set to become the first Indian across genders to play 100 T20Is. With 3-0-13-1 and 34 not out (twice as much as anyone else in the match), she was the standout player in the third T20I. She will want to replicate that to make her hundredth outing memorable.

Lizelle Lee (South Africa Women): It may not be a bad idea for South Africa to get Lee to go after the new ball well before the spinners come on to take the pace off. Perhaps that may give them a 20-run boost. There is also her excellent glovework…

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), Sune Luus (c), Laura Wolvaardt, Nadine de Klerk, Mignon du Preez, Lara Goodall, Anne Bosch, Shabnim Ismail, Ayabonga Khaka, Tumi Sekhukhune, Nonkululeko Mlaba.

Prediction

India Women to sweep the series 4-0.