India spinner Radha Yadav acknowledged that the bowling unit made some mistakes during their 12-run loss to South Africa in the first women’s T20I. She mentioned that the pacers should have used yorkers more effectively. The Indian bowlers struggled to contain the formidable batting by Tazmin Brits (81) and Marizanne Kapp (57), allowing South Africa to set a challenging target of 190 runs. Radha admitted, “It was important to know the right length and pace to bowl on this wicket. We did make some errors as a bowling unit, perhaps giving away 10-15 extra runs.
” She also mentioned that the South African batters effectively used the sweep shot due to the low bounce on the pitch. She emphasized, “We needed to bowl yorker-length deliveries since the ball was skidding.” Regarding the on-field discussion during the Proteas’ batting, Radha explained that it was related to setting up an attacking field. She stated, “We were discussing making them play where the fielders were positioned and looking to attack and take wickets. However, they batted well.
We need to back our plans and quickly assess how the wicket is playing out, which would make things easier for us.” Looking ahead to the next T20I, Radha highlighted the need for improved catching skills to level the series, emphasizing that the team had a bad day in the previous match and would aim to bounce back.
South African batter Tazmin Brits expressed her excitement about winning the first WT20I, emphasizing the importance of securing more wins for the team’s confidence leading up to the T20 World Cup in Bangladesh. She admitted that it was challenging to face India’s most economical bowler, Pooja Vastrakar.
Brits also praised the effective communication with her captain, Laura Wolvaardt, and Kapp during batting. Reflecting on South Africa’s batting performance, Brits credited batting coach Baakier Abrahams for the team’s improvement and emphasized the importance of being fearless in T20Is and utilizing the guidance from the batting coach to enhance their game.