Johannesburg, April 24 Having already conceded the five-match T20I series with two games to spare, India will enter the fourth game against South Africa, to be played at the Wanderers on Saturday, with an aim to solve a familiar and urgent crisis: a bowling unit looking in tatters at the moment.
Despite a resurgent batting performance on Wednesday that saw India post 192/4 - their highest-ever T20I score against the Proteas - the Harmanpreet Kaur-led visitors were listless with the ball to stop a clinical South African chase, thanks to a whirlwind 115 by hosts skipper Laura Wolvaardt.
The primary issue India must correct is their inability to pick wickets in power-play. In the third T20I, Laura and Sune Luus dismantled the Indian bowling attack with a 183-run opening stand. Apart from the bowling lacking penetration and falling off in execution, India haven’t posted their best fielding performance too.
The absence of seam-bowling all-rounder Amanjot Kaur (back injury) has been felt, while Arundhati Reddy is also under injury cloud after leaving the field due to a strain in the last game. While their batting has largely clicked, for India to get a win in the remaining two matches, the focus is on the need to find a bowling plan that can challenge the mighty Proteas.
South Africa, meanwhile, have strengthened their T20 World Cup preparation with a series win over India at home for the first time. For the hosts, who have won the toss thrice and aced chases on all three occasions, the fourth T20I is a chance to inch closer to a clean sweep over India – something which they haven’t achieved before.
The Wolvaardt-Luus pairing likely pushes Tazmin Brits to number three. While Marizanne Kapp’s eventual return will force a selection reshuffle, South Africa’s immediate focus remains on increasing India’s misery and whether the visitors can stop that, only time will tell.
When: April 25, Saturday, 9:30 PM IST
Where: Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg
Where to watch: Star Sports Network for live TV broadcast and JioHotstar for live streaming
Squads:
South Africa: Laura Wolvaardt (c), Sune Luus, Tazmin Brits, Annerie Dercksen, Anneke Bosch, Chloe Tryon, Nadine de Klerk, Sinalo Jafta (wk), Ayabonga Khaka, Tumi Sekhukhune, Nonkululeko Mlaba, Ayanda Hlubi, Kayla Reyneke, Tebogo Macheke, and Eliz-Mari Marx
India: Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Shafali Verma, Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh (wk), Kashvee Gautam, Arundhati Reddy, Shreyanka Patil, Deepti Sharma, Renuka Singh Thakur, Sree Charani, Anushka Sharma, Uma Chetry, Bharti Fulmali, and Kranti Gaud.
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