India captain Harmanpreet Kaur remains resolute in their approach of going for a win in every game ahead of the Women’s Asia Cup match against arch-rivals Pakistan. India are scheduled to open their campaign against their historic nemesis in Dambulla on July 19. India have recently secured a 3-0 clean sweep against South Africa in the home ODI series. They also registered an emphatic 10-wicket win in the one-off Test before levelling the three-match T20I series 1-1 as the second game got washed out due to rain in Chennai. Before the pressure game against Pakistan, Harmanpreet said as a team they need to focus on their game rather than other parameters of the clash.

“When you play against Pakistan, there is a different atmosphere in both the countries. Both the countries want their team to win. As a player, there is a lot of pressure for us. But as a leader, it is my responsibility to make my team feel light in that environment, so that they don’t think that we are playing against Pakistan or it’s a pressure game. It will be important for me to make everyone feel that this is also just another game. We have to do well for the team and make the team win. Other than thinking about what is going on in the stadium, who are the other people cheering for? Who are they talking about? Just focus on the main things. Don’t think about the things that we can’t control,” Harmanpreet told Star Sports.

“The kind of approach we have right now, every day whenever we are going to play the matches, we are giving equal importance to all matches. We all are very greedy to win every game, and that is something we feel should be in a team, and this is what everyone in the team is feeling,” she added.

India batter Jemimah Rodrigues said the team’s atmosphere is positive and they are preparing well towards the common goal of winning every game in the tournament.

“The enthusiasm is really high, and that’s always been the scene. It’s a nice feeling, but more than that, it’s very inspiring to know that every time we walk out on the field, we know we have the support of every single person backing us. You know, many times we visualise that and walk into the field, so just imagine the confidence and the motivation we have to win every game,” she said.

“It’s just about how well we prepare rather than thinking too much ahead of ourselves. About the results, it’s always about preparation. So I think this is the mindset now. We know if we prepare well, we are going to go out there and do well,” Rodrigues added.

Speaking on the excitement of playing in the Women’s Asia Cup 2024, all-rounder Deepti Sharma said, “These are the kind of tournaments for which the players wait because it’s a big tournament. Our only goal is to perform well as a team, and we will back each other so that we perform well on the field for the further matches.”

Pooja Vastrakar’s lethal bowling in the T20I series against South African has given India vice-captain Smriti Mandhana the confidence that the pacer can replicate the form in the Women’s T20 World Cup in October in Bangladesh. The 24-year-old quick took eight wickets here with a best of 4/13 in the final game on Tuesday, which helped the hosts thrash the Proteas by 10 wickets to level the three-match series 1-1. The second match was washed out but South Africa played the full 20 overs and Vastrakar grabbed two wickets.

Smriti was in awe of Vastrakar’s bowling, which helped India restrict South Africa Women to 84 on Tuesday.

“In the first two matches, the wickets were flat, and for her to come with such figures is amazing. We hope she keeps doing the same things and will be crucial for us in the World Cup,” Mandhana told reporters on Tuesday.

“She is brilliant with the ball. It’s been a long series for all of us, and being a bowler, I wonder how has she done that (carried on without getting tired)?” Besides the T20Is, India also played a one-off Test and three ODIs against South Africa.

Mandhana also recalled Vastrakar’s performance in the five-match T20I series in Bangladesh in April-May, where she took five wickets — the joint second-highest number of scalps.

“Even during the Bangladesh T20I series, the way she bowled, especially during the death overs, I struggled to see the ball when she was running in so quickly,” added Mandhana.

“We knew she had made a difference about how she has been bowling in the last few months. Coming into the series, we were confident of her.” Mandhana credited the pre-series camp at the National Cricket Academy for the success against South Africa.

“A lot of effort was put in during the batters’ camp that we had at the NCA before the series. The number of hours in the camp with the bat helps you.

“Throughout the series, all the players were ready to play and bat across formats, having practiced those scenarios in the camp. I believe in working hard when no one’s watching, and that helped me and the team perform well in this series.” The series has also been special for Shafali Varma, who finished among the top three run-getters for her side.

“Shafali bats the best when she doesn’t think a lot. You don’t give a batter like her a lot of information. The only conversation (I have) from the non-striker’s end is when she wants to hurry up, and all I say is ‘stay’. As a senior player, my job is to guide her about the bowler, and she adapts.

“Initially, in her career, she was aggressive, but now, she knows which bowler to target. I’m sure, doing this a lot more will help.” Mandhana was not in favour of too much shuffling in the batting order in the T20 Asia Cup in Sri Lanka later this month.

“We will have a similar set of conditions during the Asia Cup. But, I think it’s a good problem to have since, for a few years, we have wanted to have a few players who can go out and win the matches for us.

“Also, the confidence that the WPL has given has got them in that space. But it’s a calculated big call that we have thought about. It’s a lot to do with what we feel that can win us a lot of matches rather than just one or two. I won’t say that there would be a lot of shuffling.”

Not the way we wanted to end series: Laura Wolvaardt

South African skipper Laura Wolvaardt felt that her batters failed to judge the pitch and adapt to the conditions.

“Not the way we wanted to end the series. The pitch felt ‘stoppy’ when we were batting. Also, I don’t think we adapted to the conditions as well as we could have.

“But, it’s a tough one since we have been speaking about being a lot more positive as a batting unit, which came off in the first two (T20I) games. It was a tough toss to lose (in the third T20I), but we could have put up 140-150.” “We will take a lot of learnings from the series. We are happy with how we batted in the first two games; we made a lot of big strides. So, I don’t want this (last) game to send us backwards,” she added.

Pacer Pooja Vastrakar ran riot with a career-best bowling show of 4/13 before Smriti Mandhana shone with the bat with an unbeaten half century, as India thrashed South Africa by 10 wickets in the third and final women’s T20 International to level the series 1-1 in Chennai on Tuesday. Left-arm spinner Radha Yadav also chipped in with a fine performance of 3/6 from her three over to help India shoot South Africa out for a mere 84 in 17.1 overs after opting to bowl. India easily chased down the small target of 85 with 55 balls to spare and without losing any wicket with opening batters Mandhana and Shafali Verma remaining not out on 54 and 27 respectively.

Mandhana hit the winning runs — a six off Nadine de Klerk — as India reached 88 for no loss in 10.5 overs. This was India’s biggest victory over South Africa in this format, both in terms of wickets (10) and balls to spare (55).

Mandhana, who was at her magnificent best towards the end of the run chase, hit a six in the 10th over and followed it up with two fours and a maximum in the next to end the contest quickly. This was her 24th T20I half century.

The Indian opening duo played smart cricket, managing 40 for no loss at the end of the powerplay, with the visitors using five different bowlers in this phase but without any success Mandhana and Verma later went for the big shots to end the contest quickly.

In all, Mandhana struck eight fours and two sixes from the 40 balls she faced while Verma scored three fours from 25 balls.

South Africa had won the first match by 12 runs before the second T20I was washed out on Saturday.

Earlier, only three South African batters managed to score in double-digit figures, with Tazmin Brits (20 off 23 balls) being their top scorer.

Openers Laura Wolvaardt (9 off 9 balls) and Brits could only manage 19 runs for the first wicket.

As Shreyanka Patil dismissed Wolvaardt in the fourth over, the pair of Brits and Marizanne Kapp (10 off 8 balls) added 11 runs for the second wicket.

Interestingly, the Indians used four different bowlers in the opening four overs.

Kapp fell in the fifth over, as she became Vastrakar’s 50th wicket in the format. Next to go for South Africa was Brits with Deepti Sharma grabbing her prized wicket in the eighth over, as the scoreboard read 45 for three.

The same over saw Chloe Tryon being dropped by Deepti, as the slew of poor fielding from the hosts continued in the third straight contest.

Yet, the visitors struggled to get a proper partnership going, having dominated with the bat in the previous two outings.

They lost their next two wickets at the score of 61 in the 11th over, thanks to Vastrakar exploiting the wicket.

Halfway through the innings, it was evident that the track did not have much for the batters, with spongy bounce and mild turn.

Also, the rain in the city in the past couple of days had made the wicket moist, leading to Vastrakar getting mild swings through her medium pace, which indeed troubled the South Africans.

Things simply went worse for South Africa thereon as they lost the remaining five wickets for just 23 runs.

Hero of India’s victorious T20 World Cup campaign, Jasprit Bumrah added another feather to his hat when he was on Tuesday named the ‘ICC Men’s Player of the Month for June’. It was double delight for India as women’s team vice-captain Smriti Mandhana was also named the ‘Women’s Player of the Month’ by the global body. Mandhana won her first ICC Women’s Player of the Month after playing a starring role in India’s sweep over South Africa in the ODI series last month.

Bumrah came out on top in the men’s vote from compatriot Rohit Sharma and Rahmanullah Gurbaz of Afghanistan, while Mandhana won the women’s award by overcoming England’s Maia Bouchier and Sri Lanka’s Vishmi Gunaratne.

Bumrah, who bagged 15 wickets to be adjudged the Player-of-the-Tournament in the T20 global showpiece last month, also claimed the Men’s Player of the Month accolade for June, the ICC announced.

“I am delighted to be named the ICC Men’s Player of the Month for June,” Bumrah said in the ICC statement.

“It’s a special honour for me following a memorable few weeks spent in the USA and West Indies. We have had a lot to celebrate as a team, and I’m delighted to be able to add this personal accolade to the list.” The 30-year-old was at his dependable best in the USA and Caribbean and bowled at an average of 8.26, at an astonishing economy rate of 4.17.

He joined Virat Kohli (a two-time winner in his own right) as India players to claim the Men’s T20 World Cup Player of the Tournament award.

India were the first team to win the men’s T20 World Cup without losing a game all tournament.

Barring a washout against Canada in the first round, the Rohit Sharma-led India went on to win all eight matches they played in the tournament.

“To perform as well as we did at the tournament and lift the trophy at the end is incredibly special, and I will carry those memories with me forever,” Bumrah said.

“I wish to congratulate my captain Rohit Sharma and Rahmanullah Gurbaz for their excellent performances in the same period, and I am humbled to have been chosen as the winner.” In the women’s game, Mandhana set the tone with a commanding 117 in the first outing in Bengaluru. Despite an early stutter by the hosts in which they fell to 99 for five, Mandhana remained resolute, and benefitted from some lower order resistance to guide India to a formidable score of 265 from their 50 overs, which proved far beyond the Proteas.

Mandhana went one better in the second match, hitting her second successive century and top scoring in a game that saw 646 runs in total. The opener blitzed the South African bowling attack, smashing 136 in 120 balls and in tandem with her captain Harmanpreet Kaur, posted just enough to see off the resurgent visitors.

She came close to sealing a hat-trick of hundreds in the final outing, falling agonizingly on 90 in a stylish effort that ensured India recorded a comfortable victory to close out the series.

During the period, Mandhana recorded 343 runs at an average of 114.33, with a strike rate of over 100, earning her the Player of the Series award.

“I’m really glad to have won the ICC Women’s Player of the Month for June. I’m really happy with the way the team has performed and I’m happy to have contributed.

For us, we won the ODI and the Test series and hopefully we can continue our form and I can further contribute to win more matches for India,” Mandhana said.

Smriti Mandhana and Palash Muchhal© Instagram

Desperate to level the three-match series after the second game was washed out, India would hope weather doesn’t play spoilsport, besides eyeing a much-improved bowling effort in the final women’s T20I against South Africa here on Tuesday. India are trailing the three-match series 0-1 after losing the opener by 12 runs. Their problems compounded after the second game here on Sunday was washed out midway due to persistent drizzle. And with 30 to 40 per cent of rain forecast for Tuesday, the Indians are left on the mercy of weather gods.

In both the matches, the Indian bowlers cut a sorry figure as South Africa amassed 189 for 9 and 177 for 6 respectively.

Barring Pooja Vastrakar, who picked up two wickets each in both the games, and spinner Deepti Sharma, most of the Indian bowlers failed to shine against the Proteas women.

Renuka Singh leaked runs in the first game and was subsequently replaced by Sajeevan Sajana in the second T20I but the latter also didn’t her cause.

Shreyanka Patil and Radha Yadav picked up a wicket each on Sunday but continued to leak runs.

India skipper Harmanpreet Kaur would want her bowlers to pull up their socks with the series at stake.

On the batting front, it has been a decent show by the Indians in the first game. The likes of Jemimah Rodrigues (53 not out), Smriti Mandhana (46), Harmanpreet (35), Shafali Verma (18) and Daylan Hemalatha (14) all making double digit scores.

Uma Chetry, who made her T20I debut on Sunday, is likely to persisted with as Harmanpreet and the team management would like to see her exploits with the bat.

South Africa, on the other hand, has been rock solid with the bat with Tazmin Brits, who hit consecutive half-centuries, leading the charge.

Besides Brits, skipper Laura Wolvaardt, Marizanne Kapp and Anneke Bosch have contributed with the bat as well for the visitors.

South Africa’s only concern is Chloe Tryon, who has scored identical 12 runs in the two games.

And with the upcoming T20 World Cup in Bangladesh in mind, Tryon will be desperate to prove her detractors wrong.

Teams:

India Women: Harmanpreet Kaur(c), Smriti Mandhana(vc), Uma Chetry(wk), Richa Ghosh(wk), Dayalan Hemalatha, Jemimah Rodrigues, Shafali Verma, Amanjot Kaur, Shreyanka Patil, Sajeevan Sajana, Deepti Sharma, Asha Sobhana, Arundhati Reddy, Renuka Singh, Shabnam Shakil, Pooja Vastrakar and Radha Yadav.

South Africa Women: Laura Wolvaardt(c), Tazmin Brits, Mieke de Ridder(wk), Sinalo Jafta(wk), Anneke Bosch, Nadine de Klerk, Annerie Dercksen, Marizanne Kapp, Sune Luus, Chloe Tryon, Ayabonga Khaka, Masabata Klaas, Eliz-Mari Marx, Nonkululeko Mlaba and Tumi Sekhukhune.

Match starts: 7.00 pm (IST). 

A 12-run defeat in the first game putting them on the backfoot, India Women would to look to dish out an improved batting and fielding performance in the second T20 International and bounce back in the the three-match series against South Africa here on Sunday. Dropped catches and batters’ lack of intent in the middle overs had cost India dear in the opening match on Friday, as they could only score 177 for 4 in 20 overs after South Africa had posted 189 for 4, thanks to Tazmin Brits (81) and Marizanne Kapp (57).

It was South Africa’s first win in the ongoing tour. They had earlier suffered a 0-3 whitewash in the ODI series followed by a 10-wicket loss in the one-off Test in the tour spanning close to a month now.

Both the camps have concerns to deal with following Friday’s match. India’s Richa Ghosh and South Africa’s Brits had gone off the field with concussion and cramps respectively.

As per the BCCI’s statement, Richa had “neck pain and dizziness” following a failed catch attempt, with the ball hitting her face. Her face too seemingly hit the ground.

“She has been sent for further scans & the BCCI Medical Team is monitoring her progress,” read the BCCI’s statement.

As for Brits, she had to be stretchered out of the field with a severe contusion on her right lower leg. However, she did come for the post-match press conference and affirmed that she would be good to go in the upcoming games.

For the hosts, while their bowling performance was decent, the poor fielding caught everyone off-guard, with three dropped catches and a few mis-fields.

The fielding flop show will definitely be one aspect that will be playing at the back of the home players’ minds on Sunday, especially given that head coach Amol Muzumdar is extremely strict about it.

As for batting, the Indian top order needs to add a bit more flair, barring Smriti Mandhana, who has been in fine touch lately.

However, the Indian middle order has been efficient, thanks to captain Harmanpreet Kaur and Jemimah Rodrigues, who made 35 and 53 not out respectively on Friday.

The South Africans clicked with the bat, especially the top order. The likes of Brits and Kapp, along with skipper Laura Wolvaardt and Chloe Tryon, are expected to come in handy yet again on Sunday.

Also, it was an all-round bowling performance, with four different wicket-takers.

However, Eliz-Mari Marx might be under the scanner, having given away 36 runs in her three overs in the first match.

The Chepauk pitch on Friday was above par and is expected to be more or less the same on Sunday.

Although there was low bounce and mild dew on Friday, playing the sweep shots effectively will be a good choice, given how the Proteas executed them perfectly.

The Teams (from): India Women: Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Smriti Mandhana (vc), Uma Chetry (wk), Richa Ghosh (wk), Dayalan Hemalatha, Jemimah Rodrigues, Shafali Verma, Amanjot Kaur, Shreyanka Patil, Sajeevan Sajana, Deepti Sharma, Asha Sobhana, Arundhati Reddy, Renuka Singh, Shabnam Shakil, Pooja Vastrakar and Radha Yadav.

South Africa Women: Laura Wolvaardt (c), Tazmin Brits, Mieke de Ridder (wk), Sinalo Jafta (wk), Anneke Bosch, Nadine de Klerk, Annerie Dercksen, Marizanne Kapp, Sune Luus, Chloe Tryon, Ayabonga Khaka, Masabata Klaas, Eliz-Mari Marx, Nonkululeko Mlaba and Tumi Sekhukhune.

Match starts: 7.00 pm IST. PTI AYG PDS PDS

India posted the biggest ever total in the history of women’s Test cricket by scoring a mammoth 603 for six declared before South Africa Women fought valiantly through Sune Luus and Marizanne Kapp on day two of the one-off Test, here Saturday. The hosts resumed the day at the overnight score of 525 for four with skipper Harmanpreet Kaur and Richa Ghosh beginning the proceedings. Playing her fifth Test, the India skipper raised her maiden half-century in the long format, scoring 69 of 115 balls while Richa (86) also got her career-best knock of 86 to extend India’s domination. They added 143 runs for the fifth wicket.

At 576, the Indians broke the record of the highest team total in the Women’s Test cricket, bettering the previous record held by Australia, who had posted 575 for nine declared against South Africa in Perth this February.

However, at 593, the stand was broken after Harmanpreet was trapped leg-before by Tumi Sekhukhune.

Just 10 runs later, Richa departed too after being trapped leg-before by Nonkululeko Mlaba, and the Indian captain declared the innings.

South Africa put up a spirited fight with top-order batter Sune Luus (65) and Marizanne (69 not out) as they finished the day at 236 for four, trailing by 367 runs.

Delmi Tucker remained the most successful South African bowler with figures of two for 141, while Masabata Klaas was the most economical of all.

The Proteas began on a convincing note with the bat and remained safe at 29 for no loss at the lunch break.

However, the hosts struck after the break, with Sneh Rana trapping the visiting captain leg-before for 20 with a delivery that surprisingly kept low, with the partnership lasting 33 runs.

In came Luss to join Bosch, and the pair made the most of the batting friendly wicket. The duo added 63 for the second wicket, but Rana broke the stand by removing Bosch for 39.

As Kapp joined Luus, South Africa was 106 for two at the tea break.

In the day’s final session, the two batters brought up their respective half-centuries and took the partnership to 93 runs before Luus was trapped leg-before by Deepti Sharma, with the score reading 189 for three.

The stand was Proteas’ best third-wicket partnership in the format.

Nine runs later, Delmi Tucker was caught behind off Rana for a duck. But, the pair of Kapp and Nadine de Klerk played out the remainder of the day with an unbeaten 38-run stand for the fifth wicket.

The hosts did not exactly struggle with the ball. While the lack of enough turns did make it challenging out there, the ball occasionally kept low, troubling the visitors.

The Indians were decent with their fielding efforts, but a couple of close chances did not go their way.

For India, Rana was the star with the ball, with her figures reading three for 61, whereas Deepti Sharma was also impressive (1/40).

Shafali Verma and Jemimah Rodrigues in action© PTI

The Indian women’s cricket team created history on the opening day of the Test match against South Africa on Friday as the Harmanpreet Kaur-led side scored a mammoth 525 for the loss of four wickets. It was the most runs scored by any team in a day’s play in Test history (both men and women). The record previously belonged to Sri Lanka men’s cricket team who scored 509 for the loss of nine wickets in the Colombo Test against Bangladesh in 2022. In women’s cricket, the record belonged to England who scored 431 for the loss of two wickets against New Zealand at Lancaster Park, Christchurch in 1935.

This was also the first time that any team scored more than 520 runs in one day during a Test match.

South African spinner Delmi Tucker praised the Indian batters for producing a stunning effort on the opening day of the one-off Test, but hoped that her side can turn the tide around from Day 2.

Batting first, India posted a mammoth 525 for four with a record-breaking Shafali Verma (205) and her opening partner Smriti Mandhana (149) doing the maximum damage.

Tucker was the most successful bowler for SA, grabbing two wickets but she gave away 141 runs.

“We will look back and refresh today, sit down and have discussions about tomorrow. Nothing taking away from their (Indian) batters today; they were phenomenal,” Tucker told reporters during the post-day press conference.

Although the Proteas managed to keep Shafali silent during the preceding ODI series, as she managed only 52 runs in three outings, Tucker felt that the Test format gave the Indian ample time to settle down and find her range.

“It’s a different format, and obviously, she (Shafali) has more time (to settle down). She gave her all and made the most of the opportunity since she is a great batter,” said Tucker.

“Yes, we were a bit off from our lines (with the ball) and wish we could have been better. But, nothing to take away from her as she did (bat) really well.” The pitch was predicted to be spin-friendly, but that wasn’t the case on Friday, while misfields and overthrows added to the Proteas’ woes.

Tucker admitted that the visitors could not execute their strategies well on the day, and the city’s hot weather too played its part.

“We did try a few things when Smriti and Verma were batting. We switched to around the wicket and changed the field. We were happy with it for some time, but they took it away,” she acknowledged.

“We could have definitely been better on the field. Yeah, it’s hot out there. Also, overthrows and misfields are not the best of things. But, staying positive and sharp could help in avoiding those misfields.” However, Tucker focused on the fact that the pitch had started to offer some turn and they should get some purchase on Day 2.

“We knew this wicket was going to be good for spin and there was early movement upfront. There was more spin after lunch and we need to take more advantage of it tomorrow,” she said.

The South African women do not have a proper red-ball setup back home, having no multi-day competitions. Tucker said it has made their task tougher despite doing their homework.

“We (SA Women) are still young (in) Test cricket, so we are still getting used to it. It’s tough unlike T20s and ODIs, but we are still learning.

“I don’t think we did too bad. We did our homework and we knew what was coming,” she concluded. 

(With PTI inputs)