India will aiming for quick recovery from a rare setback when they takes on South Africa in the fourth Twenty20 International at Centurion, where a win would give the visitors an unbeatable series lead.
After convincing victories – by seven and nine wickets respectively – in the first two T20 games, India allowed South Africa to stay alive in the series by slumping to a five-wicket loss in Johannesburg.
India still have the edge and have another crack at creating history, as they still hold a 2-1 lead in the five-match series. A win on will make Harmanpreet Kaur and co the first to have won two series on a single tour of South Africa. It will also be a huge milestone after having won the T20 series in Australia.
But, it is easier said than done. After a near flawless show in the opening two games, the Indians dished out a below-par display in third T20 to give South Africa a chance. In the last match, India’s middle-order collapsed after a fiery start to end with a modest total of 133. This was after being a solid 93/2 in the 12th over.
Skipper Harmanpreet looked in a punishing mood during her 30-ball 48 and together with opener Smriti Mandhana (37) added 55 runs for the second wicket in just 39 balls.
But once the duo departed, the Indian middle-order collapsed like a pack of cards – the last five wickets fell for just nine runs in the space of 14 balls. The Indian bowling also looked ordinary in the last match.
In the absence of injured veteran pacer Jhulan Goswami, the onus was on young fast bowler Pooja Vastrakar to lead the attack and she did it with aplomb picking up two wickets and giving away just 21 runs from her four overs. In the post-match press conference, Harmanpreet remarked that the manner in which her side relinquished momentum was an “eye-opener” – once again, it exposed India’s frailties down the order.
India’s bowling woes and Tryon’s belligerence
But Pooja lacked support from the other end as her new ball partner Shikha Pandey once again went for runs. Off-spinner Anuja Patil was also a big let down for India as she conceded 44 runs from her four overs, and was picked apart by the big-hitting Chloe Tryon.
With the men’s team also scheduled to play their second T20 at the same venue later in the day, the onus will be on Harmanpreet and Co to set the ball rolling for Virat Kohli’s team as they eye an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.
On the other hand, South Africa would be a much more confident unit, thanks largely to seamer Shabnim Ismail, who registered her best figures in T20Is. Ismail’s feat was all the more remarkable after leaking 17 runs in her first over.
Ismail’s figures of 5/30 were the second-best by a South African in the format and helped the hosts get a target that they chased down with six balls to spare. A lot rides on how the Protea top-order can set the pace in the first 15 overs. If anything, they possess one of the cleanest hitters of the ball in Tryon, who smashed a 15-ball 34 in the last game.
Squad:
India: Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Smriti Mandhana, Mithali Raj, Veda Krishnamurthy, Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma, Anuja Patil, Taniya Bhatia, Nuzhat Parveen Poonam Yadav, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Shikha Pandey, Pooja Vastrakar, Radha Yadav, Rumeli Dhar.
South Africa: Dane van Niekerk (c), Marizanne Kapp, Trisha Chetty, Shabnim Ismail, Ayabonga Khaka, Masabata Klaas, Sune Luus, Odine Kirsten, Mignon du Preez, Lizelle Lee, Chloe Tryon, Nadine de Klerk, Raisibe Ntozakhe, Moseline Daniels.