Durban [South Africa], April 19 : South Africa skipper Laura Wolvaardt struck her second consecutive fifty, scoring a brisk 54 off 34 balls, while Sune Luus added a fluent 57 off 46 deliveries to guide Proteas to a comfortable chase of 148.
The visitors reached the target in 17.1 overs, defeating India by 8 wickets in the second T20I and taking a 2-1 lead in the five-match series on Sunday in Durban.
Chasing a modest target of 148, South African openers Wolvaardt and Sune Luus made a rapid start, looking to finish the game early.
Both batters took the attack to the Indian bowlers from the outset, propelling South Africa to 66/0 at the end of the powerplay, with Wolvaardt contributing 30 and Luus 34 runs inside the first six overs.
They maintained the momentum beyond the power play, cruising to 92/0 at the halfway stage before Laura Wolvaardt brought up her second fifty of the series with a boundary, taking South Africa past the 100-run mark in the 11th over.
India finally broke the opening stand in the 12th over when Shreyanka Patil dismissed Wolvaardt. However, the damage had already been done, as South Africa remained firmly in control and cruised to victory with nearly three overs to spare.
Earlier, India were put into bat first and had a solid start despite losing the wickets of both Smriti Mandhana and Jemimah Rodrigues in the first five overs.
Opener Shafali Verma was the chief architect behind India's brisk start, smashing four fours and two sixes to score 37 off India's 58 runs in the powerplay.
Verma and Anushka Sharma put together a crucial 53-run partnership for the third wicket to stabilise the innings, lifting India into a strong position before Anushka's dismissal in the 13th over left them at 99/3.
Verma, who brought up her fifty in the 10th over, was dismissed shortly after, ending a key innings for the hosts.
The two wickets sparked a collapse as India lost wickets at regular intervals. Indian T20 captain Harmanpreet Kaur was run out in the 18th over as India laboured to a total of 147 before being bowled out.
India will play South Africa at the Wanderers in Johannesburg in the third match of the series on Wednesday.
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