India Women begin T20 World Cup prep with a five-match series against South Africa
SA-W vs IND-W: India Women begin their ICC Women's T20 World Cup preparations with a five-match series against South Africa in Durban. Captain Harmanpreet Kaur stressed the series is crucial for building combinations and momentum, with the team entering the contest in strong form after recent series wins over Australia and Sri Lanka.
With the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup approaching, India Women will begin their preparations with a five-match series against South Africa in Durban, starting Friday at Kingsmead. The two sides last met in the final of the ODI World Cup last year, where India Women secured their maiden ICC title.
The Harmanpreet Kaur-led side, who recently won T20 series against Australia and Sri Lanka, enter the contest full of confidence. “We want to take this opportunity very seriously and play our best cricket here. It's a great chance for us to come together and prepare well before the World Cup,” Harmanpreet said at the pre-series press conference.
The skipper believes the series against South Africa will offer a valuable opportunity to fine-tune combinations and build momentum ahead of the global event, which will be held in England and Wales from June 12 to July 5. “These matches are important to ensure all players get equal opportunities so that we are fully ready as a unit going into the World Cup. At the same time, we are here to win,” she noted. “After the ODI World Cup, the team is quite confident. Wherever we are going, we are going with full confidence. The team is in good shape, and this series is very important for us before the World Cup.”
South Africa, on the other hand, enter the series after losing six of their eight white-ball matches against an Amelia Kerr-led New Zealand side. "We've been trying to fix things. I think we've identified where we went wrong. With the ball it was in our execution... With the bat we've got to be more proactive – rotate [the strike] better, have a couple of different shots up our sleeve. Also in the last few days, we've been precise about the shots we want to play and we've drilled them hard. I think there was a positioning thing with the bat as well. Some of us maybe lose our shapes just a little bit. We've zoned in on that," said Laura Wolvaardt
HEAD-TO-HEAD
India hold a strong record against the 2024 finalists, winning 10 of the 19 encounters between the two sides, while losing six. A top of that, South Africa's home-ground advantage could prove largely theoretical. Durban, where Sunday's match will also be played, is home to most of the country's population of south Asian DIASPORA.,
WHEN AND WHERE TO WATCH
Live action of the T20I series will be available on the Star Sports network and its digital platform – JioStar. The match will begin at 9:30 PM IST.
With the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup approaching, India Women will begin their preparations with a five-match series against South Africa in Durban, starting Friday at Kingsmead. The two sides last met in the final of the ODI World Cup last year, where India Women secured their maiden ICC title.
The Harmanpreet Kaur-led side, who recently won T20 series against Australia and Sri Lanka, enter the contest full of confidence. “We want to take this opportunity very seriously and play our best cricket here. It's a great chance for us to come together and prepare well before the World Cup,” Harmanpreet said at the pre-series press conference.
The skipper believes the series against South Africa will offer a valuable opportunity to fine-tune combinations and build momentum ahead of the global event, which will be held in England and Wales from June 12 to July 5. “These matches are important to ensure all players get equal opportunities so that we are fully ready as a unit going into the World Cup. At the same time, we are here to win,” she noted. “After the ODI World Cup, the team is quite confident. Wherever we are going, we are going with full confidence. The team is in good shape, and this series is very important for us before the World Cup.”
South Africa, on the other hand, enter the series after losing six of their eight white-ball matches against an Amelia Kerr-led New Zealand side. "We've been trying to fix things. I think we've identified where we went wrong. With the ball it was in our execution... With the bat we've got to be more proactive – rotate [the strike] better, have a couple of different shots up our sleeve. Also in the last few days, we've been precise about the shots we want to play and we've drilled them hard. I think there was a positioning thing with the bat as well. Some of us maybe lose our shapes just a little bit. We've zoned in on that," said Laura Wolvaardt
HEAD-TO-HEAD
India hold a strong record against the 2024 finalists, winning 10 of the 19 encounters between the two sides, while losing six. A top of that, South Africa's home-ground advantage could prove largely theoretical. Durban, where Sunday's match will also be played, is home to most of the country's population of south Asian DIASPORA.,
WHEN AND WHERE TO WATCH
Live action of the T20I series will be available on the Star Sports network and its digital platform – JioStar. The match will begin at 9:30 PM IST.
