The Indian U-19 team is currently squaring off against the South Africa U-19 team in a five-match series ahead of the ICC Women’s U19 T20 World Cup 2023. The Indian team had a memorable start winning the 1st T20I in a remarkable fashion as they crushed the Proteas team by 54 runs and took a 1-0 lead. A brilliant partnership by Shweta Sehrawat and Soumya Tiwari coupled with an inspired bowling effort by Team India paved the way for victory.
South Africa won the toss and decided to field first. Batting first, India posted a competitive 137/5. India’s innings was off to a rocky start losing skipper Shafali Verma for a golden duck. Shweta Sehrawat and Soumya Tiwari then began the rebuilding effort and with their knocks of 40 and 36 respectively steadied the ship for Team India. A late flourish of runs with Richa Ghosh scoring 15 off 11 and with Hurley Gala and Tithas Sadhu chipping in with unbeaten cameos of 11* and 13*, India was able to overcome the tricky start and post a commendable total on the board. For South Africa, the pick of the bowlers were Ayanda Hlubi and Kayla Reyneke with their consistent line and lengths bowling economical spells scalping two wickets each.
South Africa however had a disastrous outing with the bat losing their top three batters within the powerplay cheaply. Shabnam Shakil was thriving on the conditions, scalping the two crucial wickets and that of the openers was the icing on the cake. Hurley Gala also struck taking the wicket of Karabo Meso which meant South Africa was 19/3 at the 5.1 overs mark. Before Oluhle Siyo and Madison Landman could build on a partnership, Archana Devi got the better of both batters and sent them packing. Kayla Reyneke was not able to capitalise on her start and with Anica Swart and her dismissal, South Africa was 7 down with no chances of a revival. Although Jemma Botha and Jenna Evans held their ground, South Africa was outplayed by India. They lost by a massive margin of 54 runs. Shabnam Shakil and Archana Devi were incisive and brilliant in their bowling scalping 3 wickets apiece and with Hurley Gala and Sonam Yadav joining the party, the going got tough for South Africa as they ended with a subpar score of 70/8.
Run-Out at the Non-Strikers end ft. Mannat Kashyap during India U19 vs South Africa U19 #CricketTwitter #SAvIND pic.twitter.com/6cylMoU1JD
— Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) December 27, 2022
Brief Scores: India: 137/5 (Sehrawat 40, Tiwari 36; Reyneke 2/13, Hlubi 2/22) defeated South Africa 70/8 (Reyneke 20; Devi 3/6 Shabnam 3/15) by 54 runs
India U19 takes a convincing 54 Run victory in the 1st T20 against South Africa U19 #CricketTwitter #SAvIND #SAWU19vINDWU19 📸BCCIWomen pic.twitter.com/7ZsFvkSNnp
— Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) December 27, 2022
I am a first year postgraduate student pursuing a MA in Media and Communication Studies at Christ University, Bengaluru. I am a podcaster, blogger and an avid cricket fan. When not glued to cricket matches, you can find me submerged in books and thinking about cricket all the time.