IND-W vs SA-W First ODI, Live Score: Klaas removes Shafali early; Hemalatha, Smriti on strike

Klaas resumes. Ohhh drama off the first ball. A hint of indecision about the run from Hemalatha. Smriti charged but Hemalatha halted for a few seconds, given the ball has gone just to short midwicket. Tazmin Brits collected the ball and threw it to the stumps and missed. If she had hit the target, Hema was out by a mile! Lucky. Mandhana runs a single off a length ball, through fine leg this. Hemalatha gets a shorter delivery and tries to pull it but doesn’t get any distance. A slight mishit this as it looked very awkward. Tazmin Brits collects the balls and this time splits the stumps, but the batters are safely in. Hemalatha gets her boundary, FINALLY, cuts a short ball to the point boundary. 

Khaka continues. A very quiet over as the pair look to see off the movement Khaka is getting here safely. No need for haste from India and that’s what this pair is doing. Just the one run from this over. 

Masabata Klaas returns. Stump line to begin with from the seamer. Crams Shafali for space. She then switches to a wider line, tempting Shafali to drive and Shafali bites the bait. Thick edge goes to the slip cordon and a flying Sinalo Jafta takes a one handed catch. Brilliant from South Africa. Shafali walks back to the pavilion. 

WICKET Shafali Verma c †Jafta b Klaas 7 (12b 1x4 0x6) SR: 58.33

India sends out Hemalatha in the number 3 position. She gets off the mark with a couple of runs and a single. Just three runs off this over. Nice recovery by Klaas. 

Khaka returns. Shafali punches a length ball to mid on, no run. Another punch to mid off now after Khaka goes a bit fuller this time. Boundary for Shafali. Drifts the ball outside off, Shafali goes after it, produces an outside edge which beats the keeper and slip fielder and runs away to the fence. She gets an edge again, but this time, just one run comes off it. Mandhana on strike now. 

Masabata Klaas pairs Khaka from the other end. Mandhana on strike now. The India vice captain defends the first ball, but Klaas pitches the next one outside off, gives Smriti plenty of room to whip out her signature cover drive. Nice juicy half volley. OH hold on, back-to-back boundaries for the RCB captain. A fuller delivery from Klaas, a square drive now from Mandhana. Wolvaardt is moving personnel as she brings pulls out the slip fielder to patrol the offside vs Mandhana. Dane van Niekerk is not happy on comms as SA is slipping into a slightly defensive mindset. Klaas sees the next three balls through without conceding a run, sticking to length deliveries with a little room on the offside. Mandhana finds fielders. Just the eight runs from the over. 

Ayabonga Khaka will open the bowling for South Africa. Shafali the batter on strike. Full and up to the pads, is flicked away to midwicket for a couple. Dot ball to follow as Khaka beats Shafali with the ball drifting outside off. Another delivery drifting outside off, Shafali defends. Khaka has managed some swing early on. The ball isn’t coming onto the bat as well as one would like. Shafali steps out to drive the ball, but finds the fielder at extra cover. Khaka then goed for a length ball outside off and Shafali is beaten once more as the ball heads to the keeper. She then open bats a back-of-a-length delivery to backward point. Brilliant over from Khaka who has the added responsibility of spearheading the pace attack in Marizanne Kapp’s absence. Kapp is playing but will n not bowl in this game for workload management. 

D Hemalatha is padded up as Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana walk out to open the innings. India coach Amol Muzumdar has positioned Richa Ghosh as the preferred number three batter. But is India going to favour Hema today?

Former SA captain Sune Luus is one five-for away from equalling the record of most five-fors in Women’s ODIs

Deepti Sharma is playing her 200th international game. Veteran

A busy cricketing season which will culminate in the T20 World Cup gets underway today for the Women in Blue. After the Bangladesh tour, the players have had some time to rest and recuperate and will now want to put their best feet forward in finding rhythm ahead of the T20 showpiece in Bangladesh in October. 

South Africa XI: Laura Wolvaardt, Tazmin Brits, Anneke Bosch, Suné Luus, Marizanne Kapp, Annerie Dercksen, Nondumiso Shangase, Sinalo Jafta, Masabata Klaas Ayabonga Khaka, Nonkululeko Mlaba

India XI: Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet Kaur, D Hemalatha, Richa Ghosh, Deepti Sharma, Pooja Vastrakar, Radha Yadav, S Asha, Renuka Singh

Harmanpreet Kaur has won the toss and opted to bat. 

India has given Asha Sobhana her maiden ODI cap. South Africa has also handed Annerie Dercksen her maiden ODI cap. 

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IND-W vs SA-W preview: India, South Africa eye building momentum, fitness of Jemimah, Pooja in focus

India, which had lost the ODI and T20I series against Australia, came roaring back, blanking Bangladesh 5-0 in a recent away T20I series, and the host would like to build on it further.

India Women has faced South Africa in ODIs 28 times, with India winning 15 matches and South Africa winning 12, with 1 match ending in a no result.

IND-W vs SA-W head-to-head, ODI series: India vs South Africa women overall stats, most runs, wickets

India and South Africa have a very close head-to-head record in Women’s ODIs and this rivalry will renew with the Proteas touring India for a multi-format series.

Laura Wolvaardt (c), Anneke Bosch, Tazmin Brits, Nadine de Klerk, Annerie Dercksen, Mieke de Ridder, Sinalo Jafta, Marizanne Kapp, Ayabonga Khaka, Masabata Klaas, Suné Luus, Eliz-Mari Marz, Nonkululeko Mlaba, Tumi Sekhukune, Nondumiso Shangase, Delmi Tucker.

Harmanpreet Kaur (C), Smriti Mandhana (VC), Shafali Verma, Deepti Sharma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh (WK), Uma Chetri (WK), Dayalan Hemlatha, Radha Yadav, Asha Sobhana, Shreyanka Patil, Saika Ishaque, Pooja Vastrakar, Renuka Singh Thakur, Arundhati Reddy, Priya Punia.

The first ODI between India Women and South Africa Women will be broadcast on the Sports18 network in India. The live streaming for this match will be available through the JioCinema app and website.