South Africa’s all-format tour of India comes to an end on the 9th of July 2024, with the 3rd and final Twenty20 International (T20I) scheduled for 7:00 PM Indian Standard Time at the M. A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai.
Squads:
India – Harmanpreet Kaur (C), Smriti Mandhana (VC), Shafali Verma, Dayalan Hemalatha, Uma Chetry (WK), Richa Ghosh (WK), Jemimah Rodrigues, Sajana Sajeevan, Deepti Sharma, Shreyanka Patil, Radha Yadav, Amanjot Kaur, Asha Sobhana, Pooja Vastrakar, Renuka Singh Thakur, Arundhati Reddy, Shabnam Shakil
South Africa – Laura Wolvaardt (C), Anneke Bosch, Tazmin Brits, Nadine de Klerk, Annerie Dercksen, Ayabonga Khaka, Mieke de Ridder, Sinalo Jafta, Marizanne Kapp, Masabata Klaas, Suné Luus, Eliz-Mari Marx, Nonkululeko Mlaba, Tumi Sekhukhune, Chloé Tryon
Players to watch out:
Smriti Mandhana
The 27-year-old opening batter, from 130 T20I innings, has amassed 3266 runs, including the highest score of 87, averaging 27.67 and striking at 121.63. Smriti has been outstanding in this series, as she followed up her scores of 117, 136, and 90 in ODIs with a solid 149 in the one-off Test. Continuing her extraordinary form, she scored 46 off 30 balls in the T20I opener and can be relied upon for another good score.
Shreyanka Patil
The 21-year-old off-spinner, from 9 T20Is, has bagged 12 wickets, including the best of 3/19, maintaining an economy rate of 7.26, and can also be handy with the bat on a few occasions. Though Shreyanka has only had one outing in this series, returning figures of 1/35 in an ODI, in her most recent T20I campaign she returned consecutive figures of 1/24, 2/24, and 1/24. With her knack for taking wickets, count on her to deliver the goods.
Laura Wolvaardt
The 25-year-old opening batter has racked up 1642 runs from 61 T20I innings, with the highest being 102, at an average of 36.48 and a strike rate of 114.26. Laura has been amongst runs in this series, registering consecutive scores of 135* and 61 in the ODIs, 22 and 122 in the one-off Test, and though departed for a well-made 33 in the T20I opener, with form on her side, count on her to lead the scoring.
Nadine de Klerk
The 24-year-old all-rounder in T20Is, from 42 innings, has taken as many wickets, maintaining an economy rate of 7.25, and from 38 innings has added 501 runs to the tally, averaging 29.47. Nadine, while she hasn’t taken many wickets on this tour, has consistently chipped in with handy runs. However, she registered figures of 1/30 in the T20I opener, and it’ll be expected of the seasoned campaigner that she capitalizes on this form.
Pitch:
The M. A. Chidambaram Stadium dishes out an evenly balanced center strip that slightly favors the bowlers. While it is conducive for batting, the average score in the 150s suggests the assistance that bowlers, especially spinners, can expect off the wicket.
Weather:
The Chennai forecast suggests that scattered thunderstorms could cause delays and interruptions late in the game if the skies don’t clear. The temperature is expected to hover around 30°C, with light winds and humidity at 72%.
Fantasy playing XI:
Richa Ghosh, Laura Wolvaardt, Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues, Tazmin Brits, Marizanne Kapp, Deepti Sharma, Nadine de Klerk, Pooja Vastrakar, Chloé Tryon, Radha Yadav
Match details:
Date – July 9, 2024
Time – 7:00 PM IST
Venue – M. A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
Broadcast – The game will be live streamed on the JioCinema app and website and broadcasted on Sports18.
