South Africa’s Marizanne Kapp and Shabnim Ismail took two wickets each, slowing down India after a strong start in the Women’s T20 World Cup. India, batting first, scored 158/7 with a quick start but struggled in the middle overs on a challenging pitch.
India managed 57/3 in overs 7-15 as South Africa’s bowlers maintained pressure. Despite a late surge adding 42 runs, no Indian batter reached fifty, keeping the match finely balanced. Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana provided a solid start, but wickets fell at crucial junctures.
Chloe Tryon faced a tough spell, with Shafali’s aggressive batting ending at 31. Yastika Bhatia and Jemimah Rodrigues contributed but couldn’t stay long at the crease. Harmanpreet Kaur and Deepti Sharma tried to stabilize the innings, but South Africa’s bowlers continued to strike at key moments.
Deepti Sharma’s dismissal for 29 and Richa Ghosh’s struggle to accelerate hindered India’s momentum. Despite efforts from Prema Rawat and Arundhati Reddy towards the end, India fell short by two runs of the 160-run mark.
