India Women Opt to Bowl First in Crucial Second T20I Against South Africa

Harmanpreet Kaur chose to bowl first in the second T20I against South Africa at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. Despite Jemimah Rodrigues' valiant fifty, India lost the first match as Tazmin Brits and Marizanne Kapp led the Proteas to a 12-run victory.

India Women's captain Harmanpreet Kaur opted to bowl first after winning the toss against South Africa Women in the second T20I, part of the three-match series at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Sunday. In the series opener, Jemimah Rodrigues' fighting fifty was overshadowed by Tazmin Brits' 81 and Marizanne Kapp's half-century. The Proteas secured a 12-run win at the same venue last Friday.

South Africa successfully defended 21 runs in the final over, taking a 1-0 series lead. After the toss, Kaur cited weather conditions as a reason for the decision. "This format demands key contributions from two to three players to get the job done. Richa is out with a head injury, and Uma is making her debut. We've made three additional changes," she added.

South Africa's skipper, Laura Wolvaardt, praised her team's previous performance. "We demonstrated great intent with the bat, and our bowlers performed exceptionally well. Although we preferred to bowl first, batting initially worked in our favor last match. We're playing with the same team," she stated.

India Women (Playing XI): Shafali Verma, Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Deepti Sharma, Uma Chetry (wk), S Sajana, Pooja Vastrakar, Shreyanka Patil, Arundhati Reddy, Radha Yadav. South Africa Women (Playing XI): Laura Wolvaardt (c), Tazmin Brits, Marizanne Kapp, Chloe Tryon, Nadine de Klerk, Anneke Bosch, Annerie Dercksen, Eliz-mari Marx, Sinalo Jafta (wk), Ayabonga Khaka, Nonkululeko Mlaba.

(With inputs from agencies.)