India Women vs South Africa Women 2021, 1st Women’s ODI: India Women Suffer A Big Defeat On Their International Return

The hosts India Women haven’t managed a good restart as they suffered a thrashing 8-wicket defeat against the visitors South Africa Women in the first game of the three-match Women’s ODI series.

South Africa Women captain Sune Luus chose to field first after winning the toss. After restricting the hosts India Women for just 177/9 (50 overs), the visitors comfortably chased down that target in 40.1 overs after losing only two wickets.

India Women vs South Africa Women 2021, 1st Women’s ODI

2nd innings (South Africa Women): Openers almost chased down the target without losing their wickets

Openers Lizelle Lee and Laura Wolvaardt provided a solid start for South Africa Women. Their giant opening partnership almost helped to reach the target as it ran for 169 runs partnership. Lee and Wolvaardt both completed their half-centuries with a boundary each (Wolvaardt hit a four while Lee smashed a sixer).

Pacer Jhulan Goswami finally broke that partnership by dismissing Wolvaardt for 80 runs off 110 balls (12 fours). Goswami then took another wicket of captain Sune Luus (1) but it was too far to change their fate. Lee remained not out on 83 off 122 balls (11 fours and 1 six) as the visitors comfortably reached the target with 59 balls remaining.

Jhulan Goswami was the only wicket-taker for struggling India Women as she ended the game with the bowling figures of 10-1-38-2.

1st innings (India Women): Mithali Raj and Harmanpreet Kaur shined with the bat but the latter massively failed in the death overs

India Women hadn’t a good start as they lost their first three batters cheaply. While the opener Smriti Mandhana (14) was dismissed by Ayabonga Khaka in the fifth over, another opener Jemimah Rodrigues (1) also lost her wicket to Marizanne Kapp in the next over. Soon after the powerplay, Punam Raut (10) lost her wicket as Shabnim Ismail claimed her first wicket of the match.

Then captain Mithali Raj and vice-captain Harmanpreet Kaur handled the situation very well and put the 62 runs partnership for the fourth wicket. Playing her 100th ODI match, Kaur scored 40 off 41 balls (6 fours) before skipper Sune Luus took her wicket.

Then Mithali Raj and Deepti Sharma put another 52 runs partnership for the fifth wicket. But just before the 40 overs, Mithali lost her wicket to Ismail after scoring 50 off 85 balls (4 fours and 1 six) while Deepti Sharma was bowled by Nonkululeko Mlaba for 27 runs. After the fall of six wickets (dismissal of Deepti Sharma), India Women only added 22/3 in the last 10.3 overs as no other batters managed to reach the double-digit scores.

Shabnim Ismail had bowling figures of 10-3-28-3. Nonkululeko Mlaba was the other South Africa Women bowler to pick up more than one wicket in that innings as she finished that innings with the bowling figures of 10-1-41-2.

Brief Scores: India Women – 177/9 in 50 overs (Mithali Raj 50, Harmanpreet Kaur 40; Shabnim Ismail 3/28)

South Africa Women – 178/2 in 40.1 overs (Lizelle Lee 83*, Laura Wolvaardt 80; Jhulan Goswami 2/38)

Result – South Africa Women won by 8 wickets