India last played a T20I more than six months ago – on March 9 against England – although the next six months till the culmination of 2020 T20 World Cup – March 8, 2020 – are going to be anything but like it.
The five-match T20I series against South Africa in Surat will pilot India’s packed journey to the T20 World Cup in Australia next year.
Despite no international fixtures in the previous six months for the Indian team, several players from the squad were a part of the three-team Women’s T20 Challenge held in May in Jaipur, whereas Harmanpreet Kaur and Smriti Mandhana were joined by young guns Jemimah Rodrigues and Deepti Sharma, in their first Super League outing, in England, in August with the final of the tournament held on September 1.
For South Africa, Sune Luus will continue her role as the stand-in captain and will be eyeing her second series win against India after beating Pakistan at home earlier this year.
The other players South Africa will miss in the series will be the hard-hitting all-rounder Chloe Tryon, who is out due to injury, while fast-bowling all-rounder Marizanne Kapp has made herself unavailable for the T20I series in India.
Full Schedule:
- September 24: 1st T20I: India vs South Africa, Lalbhai Contractor Stadium, Surat
- September 26: 2nd T20I: India vs South Africa, Lalbhai Contractor Stadium, Surat
- September 29: 3rd T20I: (D/N) India vs South Africa, Lalbhai Contractor Stadium, Surat
- October 1: 4th T20I: (D/N) India vs South Africa, Lalbhai Contractor Stadium, Surat
- October 4: 5th T20I: (D/N) India vs South Africa, Lalbhai Contractor Stadium, Surat
Team News:
India: 15-year-old Shefali Verma has received her maiden international call-up. However, she is unlikely to find a place in the XI.
South Africa: Ayabonga Khaka and Trisha Chetty have returned to the side while slow left-arm Nonkululeko Mlaba has been handed a maiden call-up.
Squads:
India – Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma, Taniya Bhatia (wk), Poonam Yadav, Shikha Pandey, Arundhati Reddy, Pooja Vastrakar, Radha Yadav, Veda Krishnamurthy, Harleen Deol, Anuja Patil, Shafali Verma, Mansi Joshi.
South Africa – Sune Luus (c), Anneke Bosch, Tasmin Brits, Nadine de Klerk, Shabnim Ismail, Sinalo Jafta, Ayabonga Khaka, Lara Goodall, Lizelle Lee (wk), Nonkululeko Mlaba, Tumi Sekhukhune, Nondumiso Shangase, Mignon du Preez, Lara Wolvaardt.
Live Streaming and Broadcast details:
All five T20Is are scheduled to start at 7 pm (IST). Star Sports 3 will telecast the live matches in India, whereas Hotstar is the online streaming platform of India Women vs South Africa Women games.
