India eye comeback win to stay alive in T20I series vs South Africa

India skipper Harmanpreet Kaur during the 2nd T20I vs South Africa on Sunday. Pic/BCCI

Team India faces pressure as they head into the third T20I against the South Africa women's team at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg on Wednesday. The visitors need a win to keep the five-match series alive.

South Africa lead the series 2-0, having won the first two games by six and eight wickets. Another victory would secure the series for them, forcing India to play for pride in the remaining matches. The hosts have been in full control, executing their game plans well with both bat and ball, while exposing India's inconsistency, especially in the middle order.

In the first T20I, India showed some fight, coming close to winning, thanks mostly to an unbeaten 47 from captain Harmanpreet Kaur. However, Laura Wolvaardt (51) and Annerie Dercksen (44') helped South Africa secure the win in the final over. The second game was much less competitive, with India only managing 147 runs despite a quick 57 from Shafali Verma. The total was not enough, as the hosts chased it down comfortably, thanks to half-centuries from Wolvaardt (54) and Sune Luus (57), along with strong bowling performances from Chloe Tryon and Tumi Sekhukhune.

India have clear concerns. While the top order has given them starts, the middle-order collapse in both matches has hurt their chances of setting competitive totals. Key batters like Smriti Mandhana and Jemimah Rodrigues must step up alongside Harmanpreet to provide both stability and acceleration to the innings.

With the series at stake, India need a complete performance, which has been missing so far. Meanwhile, South Africa will strive to maintain their dominance and secure the series with another strong showing.

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever