It seemed to be an altogether different South
African outfit that took the ground on Friday when they locked horns against
India in a dead rubber at Lalabhai Contractor Stadium, Surat. Winning the toss
and electing to bat first, South Africa posted a mammoth total of 175-3 in 20
overs, riding on twin half centuries of the opening pair Lizelle Lee (84) and
skipper Sune Luus (62). The pair stitched a match winning partnership of 144
against an unusually listless Indian bowling. Having sealed the series, team
India decided to test their bench which meant giving rest to pace duo of Shikha
Pandey and Pooja Vastrakar and spinner Radha Yadav. The South Africans made the
most of the opportunity and handed one of the biggest defeats to the Women in
Blue as they fell short of 105 runs.
In reply, India was cheaply bundled out for 70 in
17.3 overs, courtesy an extra ordinary bowling display from the Proteas. Veda
Krishnamurthy (26) and Arundhati Reddy (22) were the only two batters to reach
a double digit score. The rest of the otherwise formidable Indian batting
faltered like a pack of cards. Nadine de Klerk was the standout bowler for
South Africa as she struck with 3-18 in her four overs picking key wickets of
Smriti Mandhana (5) and Deepti Sharma (2) apart from Arundhati Reddy.
South Africa concluded the six-match T20 series with
grace as they managed a solitary win in the final outing. India won the series
3-1, with two games being washed out without a ball being bowled.
The two sides will now head to Vadodara for a
three-match ODI series starting October 9.
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