Two weeks ago, this build-up was different. The Indian women’s team had time, combinations, and enough games left to fix things. Now, after a 4-1 series loss to South Africa, that time cushion is gone. What remains is a team low on confidence, short on answers, and running out of time before the T20 World Cup on June 12.
This wasn’t a close series that could’ve gone either way. South Africa were better in almost every game. India won just once, and even that came in patches. Batting collapses, slow starts, poor execution at the death, and constant changes in the XI, India were poor in all aspects.
South Africa, on the other hand, look ready. Laura Wolvaardt said it clearly after the series. “We’ve had perfect prep. India are in our group as well, so this gives us momentum heading into the tournament and tells us there’s a lot we’re doing right.”
Same problem for Team India
India’s issues from the first game never really went away. The top order has not clicked together. One player gets going, the others fall early. In the final T20I, it was the same story again. Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, and Deepti Sharma were all back in the dugout cheaply. India were 21/2 inside four overs and never recovered.
Harmanpreet Kaur struggled despite being India’s top run-getter in the series (169 runs), scoring 22 off 28 balls. India had a chase of 156 in front of them that should’ve never been out of reach, but the approach made it look difficult. The middle overs stalled, the required rate climbed, and the game got away.
Mind you, India had a win probability of over 52 per cent when the chase started. It dropped to just 15 per cent after the powerplay, before nosediving to just 3 per cent by the end of over number 16. It was left to Bharti Fulmali to provide some fight with a counter-attacking 40 off 30 balls, but India’s middle-overs stagnation following a poor start proved costly.
“Need to sit together as a group and think how to move forward. Disappointing for us, lots of positives and learnings for us,” Harmanpreet said post-match. “We did well in patches today. In batting, the Powerplay was something that cost us. Didn’t get too many runs and lost two wickets. It’s disappointing, need to keep working hard.”
SA vs IND 2026 T20I Series Results
| Match | Venue | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 1st T20I (Apr 17) | Durban | South Africa won by 6 wickets |
| 2nd T20I (Apr 19) | Durban | South Africa won by 8 wickets |
| 3rd T20I (Apr 22) | Johannesburg | South Africa won by 9 wickets |
| 4th T20I (Apr 25) | Johannesburg | India won by 14 runs |
| 5th T20I (Apr 27) | Benoni | South Africa won by 23 runs |
While India struggled to adjust to the Benoni conditions, Laura Wolvaardt made it look simple. Her unbeaten 92 in the final game was the difference between the two sides. She paced the innings, handled the middle overs, and then finished strong with two sixes in the final over. South Africa were not flawless, but they had control. Even when they slowed down, they had someone taking responsibility.
India are still the 50-over world champions. The talent in this squad is not in doubt. They have beaten Australia recently, they have match-winners across departments, and on their day, they can beat anyone. But T20 cricket does not wait for teams to find form. With just three T20Is left before the World Cup, Harmanpreet Kaur’s side doesn’t have time.
