Twitter Reactions: Tazmin Brits' blazing knock, bowlers guide South Africa Women to victory in 1st T20I

South Africa Women narrowly secured a resilient 12-run triumph to go one up in the three-match T20I series against India Women.

By Rathnam Nayak

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South Africa Women
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South Africa Women. (Source - BCCI)

India Women's decision to field first in the first T20I of the three-match series, was predominantly influenced by the recent trend where South Africa had lost four of their last six T20Is when they batted first. However, on a Chepauk track where the ball surprisingly arrived at the bat smoothly as compared to how it's been observed to behave, the Proteas capitalized by rotating the strike effortlessly and occasionally finding the boundaries regularly within the powerplay.

A 12-run over by Deepti Sharma saw skipper, Laura Wolvaardt, clearing the long-off boundary by a considerable margin on the final delivery, positioning her side well at 44/0 by the conclusion of the powerplay.

The breakthrough for the home team arrived shortly thereafter, as Radha Yadav outwitted a well-established Wolvaardt. The delivery drifted in, catching the skipper off guard as she leaned across too much, resulting in her getting her timber disturbed for a promising 33 (22). However, what ensued was a dominant display from the batters, with Tazmin Brits and Marizanne Kapp proceeding seamlessly. They forged a propelling partnership of 96 runs off just 56 deliveries for the second wicket, asserting their authority over the Indians.

Radha claimed her second wicket by dismissing Kapp for 57 in the 17th over of the match, just as the veteran cricketer appeared poised to elevate her performance to a higher echelon. Brits, on the other hand, was undone by Pooja Vastrakar, who conceded only 23 runs in her outing. However, this came after the opener achieved her highest-ever T20I score of 81 runs from 56 deliveries โ€” a knock studded with ten fours and three maximums.

Chasing 190 was never going to be an ordinary task. However, India began strongly, outpacing the visitors by scoring 54 runs in the first five overs. The dismissal of the in-form Shafali Verma in the final over of the powerplay significantly slowed down the hosts' innings. Her opening partner, Smriti Mandhana, who looked impressive with her 46-run innings, fell just four runs short of her fifty, departing shortly before the halfway mark of the innings. This provided wicketkeeper, Sinalo Jafta, with her second catch and the returning Chloe Tryon with her first of the day. 

Although no wickets fell for a significant period, skipper, Harmanpreet Kaur, in particular, faced challenges in getting off the blocks, with Jemimah Rodrigues emerging as the mainstay during the run-chase. Requiring 39 runs from the final two overs, both players made a valiant effort. However, they fell short as Nonkululeko Mlaba maintained her composure in the last over, restricting India when they needed 21 to win. This secured South Africa their first victory of the tour โ€” a 12-run win that overshadowed Jemimah's unbeaten 30-ball 53.

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India Women vs South Africa Women 2024India WomenSouth Africa WomenTazmin BritsPooja VastrakarChloe TryonJemimah RodriguesLaura WolvaardtHarmanpreet KaurWomens Cricket