Ultimately, rain had the final say in Chepauk on Sunday. The evening began with a dark cloud hanging over the MA Chidambaram Stadium and slowly moving across the stands, while the forecast called for heavy showers. It got better, but only just enough, as South Africa’s batting was all that the 13,000-strong crowd saw. The visitors made 177/6 in 20 overs and India’s run-chase never got going, as the match was abandoned due to persistent rain.
South Africa, batting first again on the same pitch as in the first match, finished with 12 runs fewer. There were some interesting changes in those 20 overs, however.
For starters, India’s fielding was a notch or two better than Friday’s, as they had a better pace for ground fielding from the first over. Fielding coach Munish Bali spoke of his pupils improving after an off-day, and again urged them to work hard during the sessions. There was one fielding error, which came from Jemimah Rodrigues (arguably the best outfielder in this Indian team) when her dropped catch in the last over to reprieve Annerie Dercksen effectively resulted in a hat-trick of fours.
The second T20 cricket match in a series between India Women and South Africa Women is called off due to rain, as seen on the big screen at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. (PTI)
Mid-over squeeze
But the most significant improvement was seen in India’s bowling in the middle overs. South Africa had made a flying start and were 66/1 at the end of the powerplay. Laura Wolvaardt was again quick off the blocks but was the first wicket to fall, while Tazmin Brits and Marizanne Kapp looked good. That was when Deepti Sharma came on to bowl the 7th over and India started to apply the squeeze.
In the first T20I, after the powerplay, South Africa scored 101 runs in the next 10 overs and lost just one wicket. In stark contrast, between overs 7 to 16 on Sunday, India conceded just 65 runs. Deepti was the linchpin as she ended the evening with 2/20 in four overs. It was a sharp turnaround from her off day in the first outing, where she was uncharacteristically expensive (0/45 in four overs).
Radha Yadav had admitted after the match on Friday that the Indian bowlers were making mistakes with their lengths and probably should have pulled out a bit more length. That’s exactly what they did, with Deepti leading the way. Her wickets of Kapp and Brits (both significant dismissals) were both influenced by subtly pulling back the length, to provoke a false strike from the batters.
Tazmin Brits of the South Africa women’s team plays a stroke during the second T20 cricket match of a series between the India women’s team and the South Africa women’s team, at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. (PTI) Tazmin Brits of the South Africa women’s team plays a stroke during the second T20 cricket match of a series between the India women’s team and the South Africa women’s team, at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. (PTI)
South African middle-order batter Anneke Bosch later noted that India were flatter through the air with a softer ball and even slowed their pace more, making it difficult to score runs. Brits were again impressive, scoring back-to-back half-centuries, but India showed significant improvements in their middle-over tactics. However, conceding 31 runs in the last two overs negated much of that.
Rollercoaster debut for Uma
One of the four changes for India came behind the stumps, when debutante Uma Chetry replaced Richa Ghosh. In the second over, Chetry thought she had her first official dismissal and celebrated the British stumping, but replays suggested the Indian youngster had a small part of her gloves in front of the stumps when she collected the ball. The British were almost back to the dugout when the umpires intervened.
It cost India a few runs, but Britons were eventually outdone by Chetry after Deepti’s bowling. The big screens on the ground repeatedly showed replays of the stumping miss from earlier, and Chetry’s disappointment at making a mistake. But she got her mini-rescue on the night. Munish Bali later spoke highly of Chetry’s attitude during training, and that even during the Test match, when she was a substitute fielder for a considerable period, her energy never waned. It was a nice little reward for the Assamese wicketkeeper, as she was mobbed by team-mates for the second time that night, this time for a dismissal that was not overturned.
