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A brilliant all-round performance by Deepti Sharma (33 runs and 3/30), along with debutant Amanjot Kaur who scored an unbeaten 41, helped India beat South Africa by 27 runs in the opening match of the South Africa Women’s T20I Tri-Series at the Buffalo Park in East London, on Thursday.
India were without their regular captain Harmanpreet Kaur, who missed the first game of the tri-series due to illness, while the pair of Richa Ghosh and Shafali Varma, missed games due to their participation in the ongoing Under-19 World Cup.
After being asked to bat first, Deepti and Amanjot added a crucial 76-run stand for the sixth wicket to help India recover from the initial setback at 69/5 in the 12th over to post a competitive total of 147/6 in their 20 overs.
India didn’t get an ideal start which they would have liked after stand-in captain Smriti Mandana was dismissed cheaply for just seven runs in the 3rd over as India finished the powerplay at 29/1.
On the second ball of the 7th over, Harleen Deol was run-out after a slight mix-up with Yastika Bhatia while looking for a second run. On the very next ball, Jemimah Rodrigues got caught behind for a first-ball duck while attempting a pull shot.
Yastika Bhatia after being dropped on 2, kept the scoreboard ticking for India with four boundaries, including a scooped six over fine-leg. However, just as she was looking good to put her side back on track, she was dismissed after getting played on to a quicker delivery from off-spinner Delmi Tucker. Pretty soon, Devika Vaidya was too back in the pavilion as India were in deep trouble at 69/5 in the 12th over.
India seal a comfortable win against South Africa in the opening game of the T20I Tri-Series 👌 pic.twitter.com/mmuAheYSew
— ICC (@ICC) January 19, 2023
However, the duo of Deepti and Amanjot stitched a vital 76-run partnership for the sixth wicket to help India put a competitive total of 147/6 in 20 overs.
Deepti scored 33 runs off 23 deliveries at a strike rate of 143.47, including one four and a six, while Amanjot remained unbeaten on 41 off 30 balls at a strike rate of 136.66, hitting seven fours on her debut.
While chasing, South Africa were off to a poor start after finishing the powerplay at just 30/2. For India, Deepti took 3/30 in her four overs as South Africa were soon reduced to 64/5 in the 12th over.
The Proteas recovered a bit with the help of skipper Sune Luus, who top scored with her 29 off 30 balls, but it wasn’t enough as they could only manage to score 120/9 in 20 overs and lost the tri-series opener by 27 runs.
Devika Vaidya claimed 2-19 off three overs, while Rajeshwari Gayakwad (1-11), Sneh Rana (1-12), and Radha Yadav (1-17) were the other successful Indian bowlers in the match on a dry, slow surface under hot and humid conditions.
Amanjot Kaur was awarded Player of the Match for her unbeaten 41 off 30 balls on her debut.
Brief scores: India Women 147/6 in 20 overs (Amanjot Kaur 41*, Yastika Bhatia 35, Deepti Sharma 33; Nonkululeko Mlaba 2-15) beat South Africa Woman 120/9 in 20 overs (Sune Luus 29, Chloe Tryon 26; Deepti Sharma 3-30, Devika Vaidya 2-19) by 27 runs.
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