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Laura Wolvaardt and Annerie Dercksen shine as South Africa beat India by six wickets in the first T20 on Saturday in Durban.
Wolvaardt laid the foundation for the chase with a composed half-century, before Chloe Tryon and Annerie Dercksen applied the finishing touches with a flurry of powerful strokes at the death. Batting first, India posted a moderate target of 158 with skipper Harmanpreet Kaur (47* off 33) being the top scorer for the visitors. Apart from Kaur opener Shafali Verma (34 off 20 balls) and Jemimah Rodrigues (36 off 29), who also chipped in with decent contributions. In India's innings, the last 34 balls went for only 38 runs, and that is where SA gathered momentum and never let it go in their chase. Ayabonga Khaka led the Proteas' bowling attack with a standout three-wicket haul, while Tumi Sekhukhune supported well with two wickets, and Nonkululeko Mlaba added another to round off a disciplined bowling effort. A confidence-boosting win for South Africa Women, who arrived from New Zealand on the back of a 4-1 T20 series defeat and without a couple of regular players, yet managed to hold off a strong Indian side to take a 1-0 lead in the series. After the early loss of Sune Luus in the chase, Wolvaardt stepped up with a fluent 51 before falling, setting the tone for the innings. She found solid support in Annerie Dercksen, who remained unbeaten on 44 and anchored two crucial partnerships to keep the innings on track. Their efforts ensured the Proteas did not falter in the closing stages, with Chloe Tryon providing the finishing touches to seal a composed chase. Ayabonga Khaka was handed the award for her brilliant spell of 3/16 in 4 overs. (ANI)
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