The second T20I between India and South Africa at the MAC Stadium on Sunday was a testament to the unpredictable nature of cricket. Despite forecasts warning of heavy rain and thunderstorms, the initial drizzle that delayed the start by 15 minutes didn’t seem to pose a serious threat to the match. However, the weather took a turn for the worse, eventually leading to the abandonment of the game.
India made four changes to their lineup, bringing in Uma Chetry, Shreyanka Patil, Arundhati Reddy, and Sajeevan Sajana. The visitors were determined to put up a better performance than their first T20I loss.
South Africa’s opening pair, Laura Wolvaardt and Tazmin Brits, got off to a flying start, reaching their fifty in just five overs. Brits faced a close call in the second over when a stumping appeal was made, but replays showed the wicketkeeper’s gloves were slightly ahead of the stumps before collecting the ball.
Wolvaardt continued her aggressive batting, scoring 15 runs off Arundhati Reddy’s first over. However, Pooja Vastrakar provided the first breakthrough for India, dismissing Wolvaardt.
Marizanne Kapp, who had impressed in the first game, continued her good form, hitting boundaries off Radha Yadav and Pooja. A tight spell by Deepti Sharma and Shreyanka Patil restricted the scoring, forcing Kapp to go big. But she was caught by Sajana at mid-off.
Brits, who was recovering from an injury, reached her second consecutive fifty, providing a much-needed boost to the South African innings. However, she was stumped by Uma off Deepti’s bowling, much like her earlier dismissal. Chloe Tryon was also dismissed soon after, caught by Radha Yadav off her own bowling.
Anneke Bosch and Nadine de Klerk then accelerated the scoring rate, adding 33 runs in 18 balls. But they lost their wickets in consecutive deliveries. Annerie Dercksen, who was dropped by Jemimah Rodrigues in the last over, added 12 runs to the South African total.
The Proteas eventually set India a target of 178 runs. However, the rain returned, delaying India’s chase and ultimately forcing the abandonment of the match. This resulted in South Africa taking a 1-0 lead in the series.
