The series moves to the historic Bullring in Johannesburg as India Women face a do-or-die situation against a dominant South Africa side. After two clinical performances by the Proteas in Durban, the visitors find themselves trailing 2-0 in the five-match series. A loss today would mean a series defeat for Harmanpreet Kaur‘s side, while Laura Wolvaardt will be looking to seal the trophy with two games to spare.
South Africa have looked unbeatable on home turf. In both the first and second T20Is, their chase was anchored by captain Wolvaardt, who has already amassed 105 runs in the series.
2nd T20I recap: India posted a modest 147, largely thanks to Shafali Verma’s aggressive 57 off 38 balls. However, the middle order collapsed, and South Africa chased it down with 17 balls to spare. Sune Luus (57) and Wolvaardt (54) made a mockery of the target with a blistering 92-run opening stand.
For India, it is about survival and pride. They need their bowling unit, led by Renuka Singh, to find early breakthroughs, something they have failed to do in the first two games. For South Africa, it is a chance to exert total dominance over the world No. 3 ranked side and celebrate a series win in front of a Johannesburg crowd.
SA-W vs IND-W, 3rd T20I: Match details
- Date and Time: April 22; 9:30 pm IST / 4:00 pm GMT/ 6:00 pm local
- Venue: The Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg
SA-W vs IND-W, Head-to-Head Record in T20Is
Matches played: 21 | South Africa Women: 08 | India Women: 10 | No result: 03
The Wanderers Stadium Pitch Report
The Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg, affectionately known as The Bullring, is renowned for being a paradise for stroke-makers due to its high altitude and lightning-fast outfield. For this 3rd T20I, the pitch is expected to offer significant carry and true bounce, favouring batters who enjoy the ball coming onto the bat. While the initial overs may provide some lateral movement for the seamers under the lights, the par score here is typically high. Spinners will need to be precise with their lengths to avoid being targeted on the shorter boundaries. Expect a high-scoring encounter where winning the toss and chasing is the preferred strategy.
Squads
South Africa Women: Laura Wolvaardt (c), Tazmin Brits, Annerie Dercksen, Sune Luus, Sinalo Jafta (wk), Chloe Tryon, Nadine de Klerk, Kayla Reyneke, Ayabonga Khaka, Tumi Sekhukhune, Nonkululeko Mlaba, Anneke Bosch, Ayanda Hlubi, Tebogo Macheke, Eliz-mari Marx
India Women: Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh (wk), Arundhati Reddy, Shree Charani, Kranti Gaud, Shreyanka Patil, Renuka Singh Thakur, Kashvee Gautam, Anushka Sharma, Uma Chetry, Bharti Fulmali
SA-W vs IND-W, 3rd T20I: Today’s Match Prediction
Case 1:
- South Africa Women win the toss and bowl first
- India Women’s powerplay score: 40-50
- India Women’s total score: 160-170
Case 2:
- India Women win the toss and bowl first
- South Africa Women’s powerplay score: 45-55
- South Africa Women’s total score: 170-180
Match result: Team bowling first to win the contest.
This article was first published at WomenCricket.com, a Cricket Times company.
