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Team India will hope to avoid a whitewash in the T20I series as they look forward to salvaging lost pride in the final T20I at Lucknow’s Ekana Stadium on Tuesday.
India Women suffered a heart-breaking loss in the second T20I, losing by the barest of margins to South Africa on Sunday. The visitors scored the winning runs on the last ball of the match.
The hosts made a bright start, with Shafali Verma and Richa Ghosh rising-up to the occasion. However, it was the poor fielding effort that led them down in the second T20I. Three major blunders in the field could have been the reason behind India’s defeat.
After suffering a humiliating 4-1 loss against the Proteas in the ODI series, it looked as if the Indian women would bounce back in the T20I series. However, as things have panned out so far, the hosts have been nowhere close to their best and will take the field on Tuesday to avoid a series whitewash.
The visitors seem to have got a measure of the Indian bowling attack as they chased down the daunting target of 159 runs in the last match. In the first T20I too, it was a comfortable victory for the visitors, who managed to chase 131 wickets with eight wickets in the kitty.
Team India has now suffered three consecutive losses in T20Is, starting with the crushing defeat at the hands of Australia in the ICC T20 World Cup Final last year. They will be hoping to get back to winning ways with a decent performance in the final T20I.
Key Players
Shafali Verma: She got the hosts off to a flier in the second T20I. The opener scored 47 runs in just 31 deliveries, which included six boundaries and two maximums. India lost their captain, Smriti Mandhana, in only the second over, but Verma continued to dominate the bowling attack. She stitched a 79-run partnership with Harleen Deol, which helped the hosts post a strong total of 158 runs.
Harleen Deol: She has been one of the standout performers for the hosts in this series. The 22-year-old has scored 83 runs in the series so far, including a half-century in the first T20I. Deol rotated the strike brilliantly in the second T20I, when Shafali Verma was going all guns. At one down, Deol has become an integral part of India’s batting line-up. Moreover, she has bowled three overs in each of the two matches, picking up a wicket on both occasions.
Lizelle Lee: Lee smashed the ball around the park in the second T20I on Sunday. She scored a match-winning 70 runs in just 45 deliveries, which included 11 shots to the fence and one maximum. Lee’s blistering start was why the visitors were able to chase down the steep target in the last match. Lee is one of the most dangerous batters in women’s cricket when she is on song, and Indian bowlers will certainly want to see the back of Lee in the early stages.
Laura Wolvaardt: The South African was adjudged the player of the match in the second T20I for scoring an unbeaten knock of 53 runs off 39 deliveries. Batting at number four, Wolvaardt capitalised on the start provided by Lizelle Lee and took her team past the finishing line by scoring the winning runs. Her knock included seven boundaries, and it was more about playing the field for her rather than hitting the big shots.
Prediction
The onus is on the Indian team to step up in the last T20I and prevent a series whitewash. After losing the ODI series by a convincing margin and down 2-0 in the three-match T20I series, the hosts will look to end on a high.
India are missing their regular captain, Harmanpreet Kaur, who was ruled out of the series after suffering a hip-flexor injury. On paper, both sides have world-class players. However, South African Women have played together as a team, rather than relying on individual brilliance.
India Women, on the other hand, will be determined to win the last T20I, and are expected to play fearless cricket, despite the huge pressure. Shafali Verma was at her usual best in the last T20I as she hit the ball all over the park. The batting unit did a brilliant job, with Harleen Deol continuing her good form. The hosts dominated the second T20I, but a few crucial dropped chances in the field costed them the match.
Lizelle Lee was dropped twice, whereas Laura Wolvaardt was dropped on one occasion. If India are to rectify these errors on Tuesday, they can win the third T20I. As far as the Proteas are concerned, they are expected to go in with the same combination that has done the job so far.
