Sloppy India lose Manchester thriller to South Africa, risk early exit
Quick Scores: South Africa (161/4 in 19.1 overs) beat India (158/7) by 6 wickets at Old Trafford, Manchester
IND vs SA: MAIN | SCORECARD
Marizanne Kapp made India pay a heavy price as they suffered their first defeat in the Women’s T20 World Cup. After emphatic wins over the Netherlands and Pakistan, India went down by six wickets as South Africa held their nerve in a thrilling finale at Old Trafford in Manchester. After a power play in the Proteas’ innings, it looked like India would once again suffocate the opposition with spin in the middle overs, but Kapp had other ideas.
Radha Yadav dropped Kappa twice and the South African all-rounder made them pay with a brilliant unbeaten 81 off 45 balls, hitting seven fours and four sixes. Kapp had earlier impressed with the ball before producing a match-winning batting performance.
After the defeat, India need a strong result against Australia to secure a place in the semi-finals. If India do not win the match, they may find themselves out of the tournament. Don’t forget that Bangladesh is breathing heavily down India’s neck with two wins.
Harmanpreet Kaur played her 200th women’s T20I and became the first female cricketer to reach the milestone but couldn’t celebrate the victory. Meanwhile, South Africa bounced back strongly from their opening loss to Australia with back-to-back wins over Pakistan and India.
INDIA STARTS STRONG BUT PROTEAS Bounce Back
India’s innings got off to a quick start with Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma attacking South Africa’s formidable pair of Marizanne Kapp and Shabnim Ismail. While Mandhana started cautiously, she soon found her rhythm and hit some classy boundaries off Ismail to put the bowlers under pressure.
At the other end, Shafali was in a destructive mood, combining strong moves, pulls and fearless move play to keep the score at a brisk pace. The pair dominated the powerplay and helped India reach 50 in just 4.2 overs to reach 59 in the first six overs.
Shafali in particular looked unstoppable as she blasted 31 off just 15 balls, while Mandhana’s positive start ensured India took the early initiative.
However, South Africa fought back through their experienced seamen. Kapp outfoxed Mandhana with a clever change of angle and bowled her for 17 after she missed the fielding attempt.
Soon after, Ismail’s short-ball tactics paid off as Shafali fell behind trying to avoid a rising delivery. The wicket was made all the more remarkable by the pace of the ball, which reached a speed of 122.66 km/h, the fastest delivery in the tournament so far.
The dismissal of both openers halted India’s momentum and allowed South Africa to claw their way back into the contest after India’s dominant start.
SOUTH AFRICA PEG INDIA BACK
South Africa did an excellent job of pulling the match back after India’s explosive overs and kept the batsmen under constant pressure through the middle and overs. After leaking runs in the first six overs, the Proteas responded with disciplined bowling and timely wickets, never allowing India to build a substantial partnership.
Promoted to No.3, Yastika Bhatia managed just 15 while Jemimah Rodrigues struggled to find momentum and was dismissed at 12.
Harmanpreet Kaur looked set to anchor the innings despite brief fitness concerns, but Shabnim Ismail produced a crucial breakthrough with a smart off-cutter to dismiss the Indian skipper for 24. This wicket shifted the momentum firmly in South Africa’s favour.
Although Deepti Sharma (29) and Richa Ghosh (15) briefly threatened to launch a late charge, South Africa struck again just as the partnership gathered steam. Nonkululeko Mlaba fooled Deepti with a slower serve, while Marizanne Kapp removed Richa with another well-disguised change of pace.
A regular fall of wickets prevented India from gaining momentum in the final overs. Despite all seven of India’s top batsmen reaching double figures, none managed a fifty as the South African bowlers mastered the middle and death stages to restrict India to 158.
Ismail and Kapp were the pick of the bowlers, taking two wickets apiece while conceding just 55 runs from their eight overs combined.
CHARANI DESIGNS INDIA
Shree Charani completely transformed the match with a sensational spell that put India firmly on top after a tight and disciplined over. India had already started well, with Shafali Verma taking the new ball in a bold tactical move, backed by Nandni Sharma’s neat opener that kept South Africa quiet.
Proteas openers Laura Wolvaardt and Tazmin Brits got off to a cautious start. Wolvaardt picked up the pace briefly, but India kept them subdued in the first four overs, conceding just 19 runs as the batsmen struggled to break free.
That pressure set the stage perfectly for Charani to arrive and change the game immediately. She struck first by dismissing Wolvaardt, which prompted a false shot as the South African skipper drove straight back to the bowler and came back sharply. Wolvaardt continued to struggle after another setback in the tournament.
Charani struck again soon after, putting Annerie Dercksen down for a duck with a drift, sinker and sharp turn as the batter was completely battered and thrown. The double blow reduced South Africa to 25 for 2 and shifted the momentum firmly towards India.
More to follow…
– The end
Issued by:
sabyasachi chowdhury
Published on:
21 Jun 2026 22:58 IST