'We are going to be very smart in our options' - Laura Wolvaardt expresses confidence ahead of multi-format India tour

South Africa Women’s Cricket Team has arrived in India for their extended tour. The Proteas will indulge in one-off Test, three ODIs, and three T20Is over three weeks against the Indian Women’s Team. The first ODI will kickstart from June 16 and before the game, the South Africa Women will take on Board President’s XI at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.

The Proteas arrive for the much anticipated cricketing schedule after finishing two-week-long training session. But their bowlers will be put to the test against the batting-heavy India Women’s team. Smriti Mandhana, Harmanpreet Kaur, Shafali Verma, and Richa Ghosh have come good in the shorter format and they can pose a threat to Laura Wolvaardt-led side during the series. But the South Africa skipper has expressed that the team will be smart with their options.

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"It is going to be a tough tour, which is going to test our bowling line-up, especially if the wicket (at Chinnaswamy) is going to be as flat as it was in the IPL. We are going to be very smart in our options. They have world-class players and the Indian batters have been doing well and with the WPL experience also, they are also explosive. So our plan A is going to be the key around our bowling attack. We have the talent and the right people, but we must plan properly for each batter,” said Wolvaardt as quoted by TOI.

India Women brace for multi-format series

The ODI series will commence on June 16 and will conclude on June 2023. Subsequently, both teams will travel to Chennai for the one-off Test scheduled to be held on June 28. The Test will be followed by the T20I series which will commence from July 5. India’s star batters Jemimah Rodrigues and Pooja Vastrakar have been inducted into the squad but their availability is subject to fitness.

India’s ODI squad for three-match ODI series:

Harmanpreet Kaur (C), Smriti Mandhana (VC), Shafali Verma, Deepti Sharma, Jemimah Rodrigues *, Richa Ghosh (WK), Uma Chetry (WK), Dayalan Hemalatha, Radha Yadav, Asha Sobhana, Shreyanka Patil, Saika Ishaque, Pooja Vastrakar *, Renuka Singh Thakur, Arundhati Reddy, Priya Punia

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India’s Test squad for one-off Test:

Harmanpreet Kaur (C), Smriti Mandhana (VC), Shafali Verma, Shubha Satheesh, Jemimah Rodrigues *, Richa Ghosh (WK), Uma Chetry (WK), Deepti Sharma, Sneh Rana, Saika Ishaque, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Pooja Vastrakar *, Arundhati Reddy, Renuka Singh Thakur, Meghna Singh, Priya Punia

India’s squad for three-match T20I series:

Harmanpreet Kaur (C), Smriti Mandhana (VC), Shafali Verma, Dayalan Hemalatha, Uma Chetry (WK), Richa Ghosh (WK), Jemimah Rodrigues *, Sajana Sajeevan, Deepti Sharma, Shreyanka Patil, Radha Yadav, Amanjot Kaur, Asha Sobhana, Pooja Vastrakar *, Renuka Singh Thakur, Arundhati Reddy