South Africa's bowling restricts India to 158/7
South Africa Women produced a disciplined bowling performance to restrict India Women to 158/7 in their ICC Women's T20 World Cup match in Manchester on Sunday. Marizanne Kapp and Shabnim Ismail were the standout bowlers, each taking two wickets, as India's batting lineup failed to capitalise on a strong start.
Early breakthroughs set the tone
After India won the toss and opted to bat, openers Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma gave India a brisk start. However, Kapp struck early by bowling Mandhana for 17. Ismail then removed Verma for 31, leaving India at 59/2 at the end of the powerplay. Ayabonga Khaka further dented India by trapping Yastika Bhatia leg before wicket.
Middle-order collapse
Despite losing three early wickets, India maintained a good scoring rate, reaching 82/3 after 10 overs. However, Nadine de Klerk and Ismail struck in the middle overs to peg India back. De Klerk claimed the wicket of Jemimah Rodrigues via a caught-and-bowled, while Ismail's final over yielded just three runs and the wicket of captain Harmanpreet Kaur, playing her 200th T20I. India slipped to 116/5 after 15 overs.
Late surge and notable milestones
India managed 76 runs in the last 10 overs but lost four wickets in the process. Shafali Verma top-scored with 31, while Deepti Sharma (29) and Harmanpreet Kaur (24) made useful contributions. This was the second time India Women scored over 150 in a Women's T20 World Cup without an individual fifty, after their 163/5 against Bangladesh in 2016. For South Africa, Nonkululeko Mlaba, Ayabonga Khaka, and Nadine de Klerk took one wicket each.
