All-rounder Deepti Sharma’s marvellous spell guided the Indian eves to an 11-run victory against South Africa on Tuesday and they will look to bank on their slow bowlers to seek a 2-0 lead on Thursday.

A total of 8 wickets were scalped by the spinners in the first T20I clash which was enough of an indication how India will move ahead in the series.

There was less amount of work left for the seamers as Shikha Pandey handled the situation and conceded only 18 runs from her four overs while bagging a couple of wickets.

The Indian bowling unit undoubtedly kept the Proteas reeling the other day but coach WV Raman remains keen about the improvement of batting performance with the T20 World Cup round the corner.

It turned out to be a major concern for the women in blue as skipper Harmanpreet Kaur and Smriti Mandhana were the only run-scorers in the first T20I. The rest of the team managed to score 66 runs out of the 130-run total which wasn’t much challenging. Moreover, the hosts amassed just 25 runs in the last four overs which ultimately raises questions on the credibility of the middle order.

Players with the likes of Jemimah Rodrigues, Ved Krishnamurthy and Deepti Sharma fuel the line-up and India will hope to see some productive outings in the rest of the games.

South Africa, on the other hand, desperately need to find ways to counter the Indian spin attack. Except for Mignon du Preez, Laura Wolvaardt and Lizelle Lee, none of the batters could score in double digits. A good start form Lee, which she provided in the last encounter, can only be capitalised if the middle order chips in and provide the needed support.

Squads:

India Women: Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet Kaur(c), Deepti Sharma, Veda Krishnamurthy, Taniya Bhatia(w), Shikha Pandey, Pooja Vastrakar, Radha Yadav, Poonam Yadav, Anuja Patil, Mansi Joshi, Harleen Deol, Arundhati Reddy

South Africa Women: Lizelle Lee(w), Tazmin Brits, Laura Wolvaardt, Nadine de Klerk, Mignon du Preez, Sune Luus(c), Nondumiso Shangase, Shabnim Ismail, Ayabonga Khaka, Tumi Sekhukhune, Nonkululeko Mlaba, Lara Goodall, Sinalo Jafta, Anne Bosch