Tasmin Pritz and Anneke Bosch played well as South Africa scored 177 runs for 6 wickets.
No result South Africa 177 for 6 (Brits 52, Bosch 40) vs India
A potentially thrilling finish could not be had as the second T20I between India and South Africa was abandoned midway through the evening due to persistent rain in Chennai.
For the most part, rain kept players out. However, a quick evening spell – five minutes of steady drizzle – which coincided with the innings break – forced ground staff to cover the playing surface. But it continued intermittently for the next hour, forcing the umpires to step down.
This left India, who made four changes to their playing XI, with more questions than answers while South Africa were content batting after a good second session, making 177 for one after being 189 for six two nights ago. Sunday 6pm
They go into Tuesday’s series finale with a chance to seal the series, a remarkable result that will pay off as it is their last assignment before the T20 World Cup in Bangladesh in September.
Hello, Uma Chetry
Assam played their first domestic match in 1948-49. It took them almost 76 years to produce the first Indian (Ryan Barrack), but on Sunday, they doubled that number when 21-year-old wicketkeeper Uma Chhetri was handed the cap in the absence of Richa Ghosh due to injury.
Chhetri was quick to act. Tasmin Pritz, the top scorer two nights ago, was stumped by everyone when Sajna Sajeevan ran down the slider. While Chhetri celebrated her first knock, the third umpire gave her some pain.
A small part of Chhetri’s glove was in front of the stumps as she collected the ball, which meant Brits was not out but she had earned a free hit. On the 5th over, Brits brought up a half-century off 36 balls, with a graceful touch for the most part.
It was a stark contrast to his struggles in the series opener, where he took nine balls to score at 25 runs per ball in 10 overs, before a sensational late surge that saw him reach 81 off 56 balls.
Wolvaardt’s blazing start
South Africa skipper Laura Wohlwaardt eased any early pressure on the team with three consecutive boundaries in the third over. Each of them high on aesthetic appeal, her timing and location precise enough to thread the tiny gaps in the off-side ring.
Arundhati Reddy, who replaced Renuka Singh in the XI, got off to a poor start and was lucky to hold on to a lead.
But Wolvaardt’s innings soon came to an end as Pooja Vastrakar broke the dangerous opening partnership with the safe hands of Radha Yadav at backward point in the fifth over. Wolvaardt’s 43-run contribution was a strong 22 off 12 balls.
Deepti leads India’s spin charge
Marison Gabe did not take long to settle in like she did the previous night. Delhi Capitals teammate Yadav was welcomed with two hits in her opening over as South Africa ended the powerplay at 66 for 1. But India were not batting and their spinners, especially Deepti Sharma, counter-attacked.
Deepti did what the other spinners could not – bounced the ball off length and varied her pace smartly – and was bowled out and fell trying to hit one such ball through the line, finding Sajna at mid-off.
India then slipped into a couple of tough overs, with legspinner Asha Chopna being replaced by Shreyanka Patil.
Anneke Bosch took some time to adjust to the pace of the surface, but South Africa helped the Brits reach her half-century. Later, as Deepti charged in, Chhetri, who saved herself by being stumped by Bosch, was hit by a sharp turner. Credit to Chhetri for standing down and collecting the ball at shin height to hit the stumps.
Radha’s emphatic return catch allowed India to dismiss the dangerous Chloe Tryon. At 131 for 4 in 15 overs, South Africa needed a big finish to get anywhere close to their 189-all total on Friday. They didn’t get it until the 19th over, when Bosch, who had made up for a slow start by reaching 40 off 32 balls, hit Shreyanka for four boundaries in 20 overs.
Henri Derksen then ended the innings with a boundary, three of them off Vastrakar, to take South Africa to 177 before rain and end up in pursuit of a paltry target.
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