India 185 for 5 (Rodrigues 43, Deepti 36*, Ghosh 34*, Reyneke 2-10) beat South Africa 171 for 9 (Luus 40, Brits 30, Deepti 5-19) by 14 runs

South Africa’s reliance on Wolvaardt was underlined as no-one scored more than Sune Luus’ 40 and they had no partnerships bigger than Luus and Tazmin Brits’ stand of 44. South Africa rested Nadine de Klerk from this game, which shortened their batting line-up but that will be scant consolation for the result.

Tazmin Brits takes a speckie

After being moved down to No. 3, Tazmin Brits has had a fairly quiet time of things but she made her presence felt in the field. India lost Shafali Verma in the third over, when she was well-caught by Annerie Dercksen on the deep square-leg boundary, but the visitors progressed to 47 inside the first six overs. The powerplay would have belonged to them but, on the final ball, Brits snatched a ball from the sky to end Anushka Sharma’s promising stay at the crease. Opening in place of Smriti Mandhana, who was rested, Anushka worked her way to 27 off 18 balls when she thought she could send Tumi Sekhukhune over midwicket but Brits stuck an arm up to take a stunning one-hander.

Decision-making in the spotlight

Jemimah Rodrigues was bowled by a quicker ball from the offspinner Kayla Reyneke to end a 55-run stand with Harmanpreet Kaur but India were still in a strong position at 102 for 3 in the 12th over. Then, a mini-collapse came in questionable circumstances. Bharti Fulmali, batting for the first time in T20Is since 2019, cut the first ball she faced towards Sekhukhune at backward point but it fell just short. South Africa didn’t pay much for that. In the next over, Fulmali was given out lbw on 2 to Eliz-Mari Marx as she tried to work the ball on the leg side. A more generous umpire may have judged it as going down leg but with no reviews, Fulmali had to go.

Things got worse for India when, in the next over, Harmanpreet tried to cut Reyneke and Sinalo Jafta, behind the stumps, celebrated as though the batter had nicked off. Umpire Kerin Klaaste was unmoved as Jafta kept going and Harmanpreet walked off. India were 120 for 5 and had lost three wickets for 18 runs in 14 balls.

Luus lets loose

Former captain Sune Luus has been in current captain Wolvaardt’s shadow in this series. But when Wolvaardt was dismissed early, bowled through the bat-pad gap by Kranti Gaud, Luus could step into her own. She was already the senior partner and on 19 off 13 when Wolvaardt was bowled, and had to keep going as Brits worked her way back to form. Luus got lucky when she bottom-edged Renuka Singh past Ghosh for four but then smashed Renuka down the ground to re-establish herself.

Luus hit Gaud for four and then six over long-on and looked set for a third successive fifty but it was not to be. Deepti took her first wicket in six T20Is when Luus charged down the track and played all around a delivery that kept low and bowled her. Luus was gone for 40 off 24 balls.

Deepti dances back

Luus’ wicket was only the start of Deepti’s comeback as she silenced the doubters with a bowling performance to remember. She deceived Dercksen with a shorter length and the No. 4 was early through the swing and well outside her crease and bowled for 9. With figures of 2 for 7 from her first two overs, Deepti was taken out of the attack and brought back in the 15th over, when South Africa needed 67 runs off 36 balls. Reyneke was on 21 off 18 balls when Deepti flighted one, Reyneke tried to clear deep square leg and holed out to Gaud on the fence. Deepti’s final act was the penultimate over when she had Ayabonga Khaka lbw and Sekhukhune beaten for flight and stumped to complete a magnificent return.