A dominant display from Laura Wolvaardt led South Africa Women to a commanding nine-wicket victory over India Women in the third T20I in Johannesburg, sealing the five-match series 3-0 with two games to spare.
Chasing a challenging 193, the hosts made light work of the target, thanks to a record-breaking opening partnership between Wolvaardt and Sune Luus. Their batting effort left India searching for answers throughout the innings.
India Show Improvement with the Bat
India made three changes to their playing XI, bringing in Renuka Singh and Kashvee Gautam, while Bharti Fulmali was also included. Meanwhile, Anushka Sharma, N Sree Charani, and Kranti Gaud missed out.
The visitors delivered a much-improved batting performance, posting 192/4. Openers Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana set the tone with a 68-run stand.
However, left-arm spinner Nonkululeko Mlaba struck twice in quick succession, removing Mandhana (37) and Jemimah Rodrigues for a golden duck.
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Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur then combined with Shafali Verma for a crucial 73-run partnership. Shafali scored 64, while Harmanpreet anchored the innings with an unbeaten 66 off 38 balls. Richa Ghosh added a quickfire 18* to push India close to the 200-run mark.
Wolvaardt-Luus Partnership Breaks the Game Open
In response, South Africa’s openers took control from the outset. Wolvaardt and Luus raced to 72 without loss in the powerplay, effectively putting the game beyond India’s reach early.
Wolvaardt brought up her half-century in just 23 balls—the fastest T20I fifty for South Africa Women—and then accelerated further to reach her century in just 47 deliveries. It was her third T20I hundred and a defining innings under pressure.
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Luus played the perfect supporting role before accelerating, registering back-to-back fifties in the series. Their 183-run opening partnership—the highest for South Africa Women in T20Is—ended when Shreyanka Patil dismissed Wolvaardt for a brilliant 115 off 53 balls.
Luus remained unbeaten on 64 off 42 as South Africa completed the chase in just 16.3 overs, recording their highest successful T20I run chase.
Injury Concerns Add to India’s Worries
India’s challenges extended beyond the result, with fresh injury concerns emerging. Arundhati Reddy appeared to suffer a side strain during her spell and was unable to continue after her second over.
She briefly returned to complete the over but struggled, conceding extras before leaving the field. Uma Chetry initially replaced her, with Anushka Sharma later taking over fielding duties.
India were already without Amanjot Kaur due to a back injury, adding to their concerns ahead of the remaining matches.
South Africa Seal Series in Style
Wolvaardt was named Player of the Match for her match-winning century, as South Africa Women secured a 3-0 lead in a dominant way.
The fourth T20I will be played at the same venue on April 25, with South Africa aiming for a clean sweep and India looking to salvage pride.
