Johannesburg, Apr 24 (PTI) The series is lost, but India will still have a lot to play for in the fourth Women’s T20I against South Africa here on Saturday, including salvaging pride, restoring rhythm, and setting the tone for what lies ahead in the World Cup year.
Hosts South Africa have already taken an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match rubber and are aiming for a clean sweep to continue their unbeaten streak at home, even as the Indians seek to bring to an end a series of disappointing performances despite possessing a team that is full of quality players, including few superstars of the modern women’s game.
With the T20 World Cup scheduled later this year in England, the Indians will not be low on motivation as they look to plug the gaps heading into the mega event, less than a year after winning their maiden ICC title in the form of the ODI World Cup.
The three successive losses have exposed a few weaknesses in the side. Whereas the South Africans executed their plans to perfection, India struggled to maintain the tempo with the bat.
Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur, who believes that the reverses in last few days will allow the team management sufficient time to address their shortcomings and “come back strong” for the T20 World Cup in June, will be expecting to see a more complete performance on Saturday, especially from a middle order that has struggled to convert starts into match-defining contributions.
It is time for solid performers like Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues and Richa Ghosh to fire in unison.
The Indian bowling, too, has lacked bite at crucial junctures during the series so far. While seasoned all-rounders like Deepti Sharma have offered control, India have often allowed momentum to slip during the middle overs — something South Africa have capitalised on effectively.
Tightening those phases will be key if the visitors are to avoid another frustrating outing.
While South Africa have claimed 21 Indian wickets in three matches, India have managed just seven scalps, with the visitors failing to make early inroads throughout the series.
As far as the South African batting is concerned, Laura Wolvaardt has been in spectacular form, scoring a career-best 115 off 53 balls in the third match to secure a 3-0 series win.
She produced a record-setting performance, with scores of 51, 54, and 115 in the first three matches, demonstrating her dominance at the top of the order. Sune Luus has also been doing well, as was evident on Wednesday.
South Africa’s bowlers have also been dominant in the series with the likes of Tumi Sekhukhune, Chloe Tryon, and Ayabonga Khaka consistently getting the job done for the home team by restricting the fancied Indian batting line-up.
Teams (from): India: Harmanpreet Kaur (captain), Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Bharti Fulmali, Anushka Sharma, Deepti Sharma, Arundhati Reddy, Shree Charani, Kashvee Gautam, Richa Ghosh, Uma Chetry, Renuka Singh Thakur, Kranti Gaud, Shreyanka Patil.
South Africa: Laura Wolvaardt (captain), Anneke Bosch, Kayla Reyneke, Nadine de Klerk, Annerie Dercksen, Sune Luus, Eliz-Mari Marx, Chloe Tryon, Tazmin Brits, Sinalo Jafta, Tebogo Macheke, Ayanda Hlubi, Ayabonga Khaka, Nonkululeko Mlaba, Tumi Sekhukhune.
Match starts at 9:30 pm IST. PTI AH AH ATK
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