Durban: South Africa Women won the toss and chose to field first in the opening T20I against India in Durban, marking the start of a five-match series that serves as preparation for the upcoming Women’s T20 World Cup 2026.
This encounter is the first between the teams in T20 format since July 2024, with both sides arriving with contrasting recent performances. The Indian team, led by Harmanpreet Kaur, comes into the match after clinching four consecutive bilateral T20 series victories, including wins in England and Australia, although they did not reach the semi-finals of the 2024 T20 World Cup.
The Indian lineup features two new players: Kashvee Gautam and Anushka Sharma, both receiving their first T20I call-ups, although Anushka has not yet debuted. The core team remains mostly unchanged.
In contrast, South Africa is seeking to recover from a challenging tour of New Zealand last month, where they faced significant defeats in both white-ball formats. The team has made minimal changes since that tour. Tebogo Macheke is set to make her international debut, while Eliz-Mari Marx replaces Masabata Klaas. Notably, experienced players Dane van Niekerk and Marizanne Kapp are absent from the squad.
India Women (Playing XI): Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet Kaur(c), Richa Ghosh(w), Deepti Sharma, Arundhati Reddy, Kashvee Gautam, Shreyanka Patil, Renuka Singh Thakur, Shree Charani.
South Africa Women (Playing XI): Tazmin Brits, Sune Luus, Laura Wolvaardt(c), Annerie Dercksen, Anneke Bosch, Chloe Tryon, Nadine de Klerk, Sinalo Jafta(w), Ayabonga Khaka, Tumi Sekhukhune, Nonkululeko Mlaba.
