Mignon du Preez scored a valiant unbeaten 90 as South Africa pulled off a consolation seven-wicket win over India in the three-match series, which was part of the ICC Women’s ODI Championship. India won 2-1.
Needing 42 off the last 30 balls, du Preez took her team over the line in 49.2 overs after opener Laura Wolvaardt struck 59 to lay the foundation for a successful chase.
India, which suffered its first loss of the tour, was bowled out for 240. Deepti Sharma (79) and Veda Krishnamurthy (56) were the main scorers.
For the hosts, left-arm pacer Shabnim Ismail did the maximum damage with four for 30 in nine overs.
After opting to bat, India decided to send in Deepti at the top in the absence of Poonam Raut. It also rested veteran pacer Jhulan Goswami for the dead rubber.
India was dealt a big blow in the first over when Shabnim dismissed the in-form Smriti Mandhana for a duck.
Deepti, on the other hand, grabbed the opportunity with both hands and was unfortunate to miss out on a hundred.
She shared an 83-run stand with Veda for the fourth wicket, stabilising the innings after India was three for 57 in the 18th over.
In reply, South Africa lost experienced opener Lizelle Lee early in the chase. However, du Preez and Wolwaardt forged a 118-run partnership for the third wicket.
After Wolvaardt’s dismissal, du Preez got the job done with the support of captain Dane van Niekerk, who remained unbeaten on 41.
The five-match T20 series begins here on February 13.
The scores:
India 240 in 50 overs (Deepti Sharma 79, Harmanpreet Kaur 25, Veda Krishnamurthy 56, Shikha Pandey 31 n.o., Shabnim Ismail four for 30) lost to South Africa 241 for three in 49.2 overs (Laura Wolvaardt 59, Andrie Steyn 30, Mignon du Preez 90 n.o., Dane van Niekerk 41 n.o.).