Harmanpreet Kaur laments Marizanne Kapp’s chances after India’s costly defeat
Harmanpreet Kaur said India were disappointed after losing to South Africa by six wickets in the Women’s T20 World Cup. Marizanne Kapp played an unbeaten 81 off 45 balls at Old Trafford in Manchester on Sunday 21 June. The Proteas were chasing 159 with five balls to spare.
However, Kapp was lucky as she was out three times on 9, 25 and 66. Nandni Sharma spilled the first chance which was difficult but Radha Yadav laid down two relatively straightforward opportunities which made Kapp pay for India.
IND vs SA: MAIN | SCORECARD
Harmanpreet, who became the first cricketer to play 200 Women’s T20Is, added that dropping catches by a key player only makes life difficult.
“She was brilliant today. She took the game away from us. But I think she gave us two crucial chances and unfortunately we didn’t take them. At this level, when you miss chances, nobody gives you anything easy. Those were the key moments and ultimately they took the game away from us,” Harmanpreet said at the post-match handover ceremony.
HOW KAPP MADE INDIA PAYS
South Africa found themselves in all sorts of trouble after being reduced to 25 for two in the over. With the required increase in run-rate, she kept her composure and built a crucial 97-run partnership for the third wicket with Tazmin Brits.
Kapp reached her half-century in the loss of 34 balls, her first in a Women’s World Cup T20 match. With 18 runs needed in two overs, Deepti Sharma hit two sixes to get the Proteas over the finish line.
Kapp also impressed with the ball, finishing with figures of 4-0-27-2, including the wickets of Smriti Mandhana and Rich Ghosh.
Meanwhile, India suffered their first defeat of the tournament. After recording wins over Pakistan and the Netherlands, they faltered against a clinical South African side. India will now look to bounce back when they take on Bangladesh in Manchester on June 25, a crucial match as they look to stay firmly in contention for a place in the semi-finals.
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Issued by:
sabyasachi chowdhury
Published on:
22 Jun 2026 0:15 AM IST