After a year-long absence from international cricket, the Indian women’s team World Cup preparation got off to a poor start with a massive eight-wicket loss in the first of a five-match ODI series against South Africa at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow.
The ODI series, starting on Sunday, will be followed by three T20Is.
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South Africa is slightly ahead of India in terms of preparation as the touring party played a home series against Pakistan in February.
India last played on March 8, 2020, the day it lost the T20 World Cup final to Australia.
The SENA countries had ample playing time amid the pandemic, but this Indian team needs to oil its gears to start operating at full throttle once again.
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First ODI Summary: -
Mithali Raj and her girls were inflicted a harrowing eight-wicket defeat by a solid Proteas lineup led by Sune Luus. The Proteas sent India into bat first and snapped the Indian top-order cheaply. With Shabnim Ismail, Marizanne Kapp and Ayabonga Khaka setting up a stern test up-front, the Indian middle-order failed to up the scoring rate even as skipper Mithali Raj (50 off 85 balls) and her deputy, Harmanpreet Kaur (40 off 41 balls) aimed for a resurgence. Skipper Luus and Nonkululeko Mlaba held the batters with a fine spell of spin-bowling to further the axe on India who eventually finished at 177/9 in 50 overs.
A thumping reply from the visitor was in the offing as openers Lizelle Lee and Laura Wolvaardt stitched a massive 169-run partnership to trump the Indian bowlers. South Africa nailed the chase in 40 overs and handed an agonising defeat for India on its return after 364 days.
Squad- Who’s there and who’s not
When the Neetu David-led selection squad announced the squads for the South Africa series, there was much deliberation regarding the inclusion of rookie right-arm medium pacers C. Prathyusha and Monica Patel in place of the seasoned Shikha Pandey. Not just Pandey, spinner Ekta Bisht had also been replaced by youngster Yashik Bhatia in the 50-over squad.
Patel was given a debut in the first game and showed resolve during her spell, but went wicketless giving away 20 runs in her four overs which also saw a maiden.
While the Indian side missed the experience of Pandey and Bisht in the opening fixture, the selection committee has assured that this was done to test the bench strength of the team, which will be imperative for next year’s World Cup.
The Proteas women's team will continue to miss the services of Chloe Tryon, Dane van Niekerk and Masabata Klaas due to injuries.
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Full squad
Pitch talk
The Indian side has spent some time training at the Ekana Stadium, and Harmanpreet spoke positively about the pitch, hoping for a high-scoring encounter in the series opener. Mithali preferred to wait and watch, instead focussing on the preparations for the ICC ODI World Cup in New Zealand next year.
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Crowd control
After initially deciding to conduct the series behind closed doors, the Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association has confirmed that 10 per cent of spectators will be allowed for the limited-overs series between India and South Africa. The tickets have been priced at Rs 200 and Rs 400 and will be available online on Paytm from 6 March.
Head-to-head record
India has a 7-2 win record against South Africa.
When and where are the matches?
ODI series: March 7, 9, 12, 14, 17
T20I series: March 20, 21, 23
Results so far:
First ODI - South Africa beat India by 8 wickets
Venue: Ekana Stadium, Lucknow
Where can you watch it?
India Women vs South Africa Women ODIs will be live on Star Sports 2 (and HD) and Star Sports 3 (and HD). The India Women vs South Africa Women ODIs will also be streamed online on Star Sports Network's digital platforms.
You can also follow the coverage of the game with us live here at Sportstar from 9 am
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