NewKerala.com

India Hand Debut to Anushka Sharma in 2nd T20I Against Unchanged South Africa

South Africa won the toss and elected to bowl first in the second T20I against India in Durban, leading the series 1-0. India handed a debut to batting all-rounder Anushka Sharma and brought in Kranti Gaud, resting Renuka Singh Thakur and Kashvee Gautam. The match also marks a milestone for Indian opener Shafali Verma, who is playing her 100th T20I. South African captain Laura Wolvaardt expects a slower pitch, while Indian skipper Harmanpreet Kaur emphasized executing bowling plans better after the first-game loss.

Key Points: India vs SA 2nd WT20I: Anushka Debut, SA Bowl First

  • SA lead series 1-0
  • Anushka Sharma gets maiden India cap
  • Shafali Verma plays 100th T20I
  • SA bowl first on slower Durban pitch
  • India rest Renuka & Kashvee
2 min read

2nd WT20I: India hand a debut to Anushka, Kranti included as unchanged SA elect to bowl first

India hand debut to Anushka Sharma as South Africa elect to bowl first in the 2nd WT20I. Shafali Verma plays her 100th T20I. Get playing XIs and key quotes.

"s.QUOTE: The wicket should be a little slower overall. Nice to know what to chase later on. - Laura Wolvaardt"

Durban, April 19

India handed a debut to batting all-rounder Anushka Sharma while bringing in Kranti Gaud into the playing eleven as an unchanged South Africa won the toss and elected to bowl first in the second T20I at Kingsmead on Sunday.

South Africa are leading the five-game series 1-0 after beating India by six wickets in the series opener at the same venue on Friday. "The wicket should be a little slower overall. Nice to know what to chase later on. Still four more games in the series, plenty of chances to do that later on (testing the batters by batting first)," said South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt.

India skipper Harmanpreet Kaur said Anushka and Kranti come into the playing eleven in place of Renuka Singh Thakur and Kashvee Gautam, who have been rested for Sunday's clash.

Anushka had a memorable maiden Women's Premier League (WPL) stint this year, making 177 runs in seven games at an average of 25.28 and strike-rate of 129.19 for Gujarat Giants. She went on to make 116 runs in five innings at an average of 23.2 and strike-rate of 104.50 as India A won the Women's Asia Cup Rising Stars title in Bangkok.

"We were thinking of bowling first. It's a good surface. Batting first is also not a bad option. Had good discussions (over where we went wrong in first game). Batting wise we were okay, bowling plans we didn't execute. It's all about playing good cricket," she said.

Sunday's game also marks the 100th T20I appearance for opener Shafali Verma, who holds the record for being the youngest debutant for India women's team in the shortest format. Shafali is now the third youngest player from any nation across men's and women's cricket to reach 100 T20I caps.

Playing XIs:

India: Shafali Verma, Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet Kaur (captain), Richa Ghosh (wk), Arundhati Reddy, Anushka Sharma, Shreyanka Patil, Deepti Sharma, Sree Charani, and Kranti Gaud

South Africa: Laura Wolvaardt (captain), Sune Luus, Tazmin Brits, Annerie Dercksen, Anneke Bosch, Chloe Tryon, Nadine de Klerk, Sinalo Jafta (wk), Ayabonga Khaka, Tumi Sekhukhune, Nonkululeko Mlaba

- IANS

Share this article:

Reader Comments

R
Rohit P
A big congratulations to Shafali Verma on her 100th T20I! What an achievement at such a young age. She's been a powerhouse for us since her debut. Wishing her many more milestones. 🎉
A
Aman W
Interesting changes. Resting Renuka and Kashvee makes sense to manage workload, but hope the bowling attack doesn't lack penetration. Kranti Gaud has a big role to play. Need to level the series today!
S
Sarah B
As a neutral fan, this is shaping up to be a good contest. SA's decision to bowl first shows confidence. India's batting looks strong on paper. Hope it's a close game!
V
Vikram M
Harmanpreet is right about the bowling plans not being executed last time. Our spinners need to step up on what seems like a slower track. Deepti and Shreyanka will be key. Let's bounce back!
K
Kavya N
While I'm excited for the debutants, I hope the team management has a clear long-term plan. We keep seeing frequent changes. Consistency in selection is also important for team chemistry.

We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.

Leave a Comment

Minimum 50 characters 0/50