Opener Shweta Sehrawat broke an unbeaten 92 after captain Shafali Verma fired 45 off 16 balls as India beat South Africa by seven wickets
Updated – Sat 14 Jan 23 09:22pm
Benoni: Opener Shweta Sehrawat broke a 92-match unbeaten run after skipper Shafali Verma hit 45 off 16 balls as India beat South Africa by seven wickets to start their inaugural Women’s U-19 T20 World Cup on Saturday. journey.
India set a challenging target of 167 after South Africa opted to bat first, with opening duo Shafali and Sehrawat adding 77 in just seven overs at Willowmoore Park.
Shafali, who has played 51 T20Is, 21 ODIs and two Test matches for the senior team at international level, looked great as she played against the South African bowlers and gave her team a big win.
While Shafali chased the bowlers from the start, Sehrawat also maintained a very good batting rate throughout her innings, striking 57 balls including as many as 20 boundaries.
Shafali, however, struck nine fours and six sixes in an entertaining run that was dismissed by outspinner Miane Smit at the start of the eighth. When she was out, she hit an incredible 281.25.
This was after the Indian captain also dribbled brilliantly, picking up two wickets to stop South Africa from scoring. Shafali bowled his full quota of four overs and returned with an impressive figure of 2/31.
Sehrawat was not disturbed by Shafali’s departure, she continued in the same way and helped her team cross the line with 21 spare balls. Sehrawat’s previous best was 40 against the same opponent.
South Africa also got off to a good start earlier, with Simone Lawrence (61 off 44 balls) and Elandry Jans Van Rensberger (23 off 13 balls) conceding just four overs Scored 56 points.
Left-arm spinner Sonam Yadav gave India their first break when Rensburg was overtaken by Richa Ghosh, also an Indian veteran. Shafali then sprang into action, dismissing her opponent Oluhle Siyo as a duck.
Madison Landsman made 32 of 17 shots, while Karabo Meso and Miane Smit added 19 and 16 respectively.
However, the hosts were tied after top scorer Lowrance was out in the 17th round, a crucial moment as they won 166-5.
Brief score: South Africa lost 166/5 to India in 20 rounds (Shweta Sehrawat 92no, Shafali Verma 45).
