India Falter Late Despite Harmanpreet–Rodrigues Stand, Post 157/7 Against South Africa

Durban, April 17: A fighting knock by captain Harmanpreet Kaur and a steady partnership with Jemimah Rodrigues went in vain as India posted a modest 157/7 against South Africa women’s national cricket team in the opening match of the women’s T20I series at Kingsmead Stadium on Friday.

Asked to bat first on a dry surface, India got off to a brisk start, courtesy of an aggressive innings by Shafali Verma, who smashed 34 off just 20 balls. She set the tone early, taking on the South African bowlers with a flurry of boundaries, including a six and a four off Sune Luus in the opening over. However, her dismissal in the fifth over, caught at deep midwicket off Tumi Sekhukhune, halted India’s early momentum.

Soon after, Smriti Mandhana departed for 13, leaving India at 48/2 at the end of the Powerplay. With the top order back in the pavilion, Harmanpreet Kaur and Jemimah Rodrigues steadied the innings with a crucial 71-run partnership. The duo initially focused on rotating strike before accelerating, notably taking 15 runs in an over off Nadine de Klerk.

Rodrigues played a composed knock of 36 off 29 balls, displaying elegance with her stroke play, while Harmanpreet anchored the innings with a patient yet effective 47. Just when India seemed set for a strong finish, the dismissal of Rodrigues in the 15th over — brilliantly caught by Sune Luus — triggered a dramatic collapse.

South Africa capitalised on the breakthrough, with Ayabonga Khaka leading the charge. She bowled with precision and variation, finishing with impressive figures of 3/16. She received good support from Tumi Sekhukhune and Nonkululeko Mlaba, who kept the pressure on the Indian batters.

The lower middle order faltered under pressure as Richa Ghosh and Arundhati Reddy were dismissed cheaply, while debutant Kashvee Gautam couldn’t make a significant impact. A chaotic run-out involving Shreyanka Patil in the penultimate over further dented India’s hopes of a strong finish.

India lost four wickets for just 33 runs in the final five overs, failing to capitalise on the solid platform set earlier. Despite Harmanpreet remaining unbeaten, she struggled to find timing in the closing stages, and India ultimately fell short of crossing the 160-mark.

With 157/7 on the board, India will rely on their bowlers to defend a competitive, though slightly underwhelming, total in what promises to be an exciting contest.

Brief scores:

India 157/7 in 20 overs (Harmanpreet Kaur 47 not out, Jemimah Rodrigues 36; Ayabonga Khaka 3-16, Tumi Sekhukhune 2-27) against South Africa