FANTASY PREVIEW
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India – L W W W W
South Africa – W W W W L
Head to Head
India Women 9 - 6 South Africa Women
Venue details
MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
As many as five Women's T20 Internationals (T20I) have taken place in Chennai so far, with the first match being played back in 2016. Since then, one trend has remained intact - the team batting first have gone on to win all the matches. Not surprisingly, spin has played a massive role here, accounting for 62% of the wickets, and have struck once every 19.5 runs and 18.8 deliveries apart, which are significantly better than the pacers for whom the corresponding numbers are 26.1 and 22.9, respectively.
The average first innings score here has been 149.
Weather conditions
Thankfully, the rain stayed away in the first T20I, and hopefully, this will be the case in the second game as well. However, there is a 24-40% chance of rain during the match in Chennai today, with temperatures hovering between 29 and 31°C.
Players to watch out for
Shafali Verma: While her form in the 50-over format might be under the scanner, there is little to no doubt about Shafali Verma's prowess with the bat in the shortest format. Since 2023, the attacking batter has smashed 490 runs at a strike rate of 119.51, which includes four fifties in 23 innings. She was brilliant in the one-off Test, where she scored a double ton and played a couple of good shots in the first T20I, but could not turn that into anything substantial. Will today be the day she does that?
Smriti Mandhana: The stylish southpaw is just one of seven players to score 700 runs or more in T20Is since 2023, and that is largely due to the consistency she has shown over the years. She has been in top form in this tour, and even in the first T20I in Chennai, she scored 46 at a strike rate of 153 to get India off to a flying start. Along with Shafali, Mandhana holds the key for India at the top.
Laura Wolvaardt: One of the best batters in the world across formats, South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt has been in sublime form. Since 2023, she has slammed 866 runs at 48.11 at a strike rate of 115.62 in 22 innings, which includes eight 50-plus scores. She scored 33 off 22 in the first T20I on a tricky surface to give her side a steady start.
Key battles
Laura Wolvaardt vs Radha Yadav
Want to keep one of the most prolific run-getters in the world down? Introduce the left-arm orthodox option of Radha Yadav against her early. Wolvaardt has fallen to Radha on three occasions in five innings, striking at just 104.2 against her. In fact, Wolvaardt has managed to hit just 25 runs against the Indian spinner at an average of 8.3.
Overall, too, Wolvaardt has struggled against left-arm orthodox, having been dismissed seven times in 15 innings against them in T20Is since 2023. Even in the first T20I in Chennai, she was cleaned up by Radha, which sets up an exciting contest between the two in the second game.
Cricket.com’s suggested Fantasy XI
India Women: Shafali Verma, Smriti Mandhana, Dayalan Hemalatha, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Richa Ghosh (wk), Deepti Sharma, Pooja Vastrakar, Radha Yadav, Asha Sobhana, Renuka Thakur Singh
South Africa Women: Laura Wolvaardt (c), Tazmin Brits, Marizanne Kapp, Anneke Bosch, Chloe Tryon, Nadine de Klerk, Annerie Dercksen, Eliz-mari Marx, Sinalo Jafta (wk), Ayabonga Khaka, Nonkululeko Mlaba
Streaming and Telecast details
The match will begin at 7 PM IST on July 7 and will be streamed and telecast on Jio Cinema and Sports18.
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