5 min readMumbaiJun 21, 2026 11:38 PM IST
First published on: Jun 21, 2026 at 11:38 PM IST
At 45/2 after nine overs in pursuit of 159, South Africa’s chase was threatening to unravel. India had squeezed the scoring, struck twice in the PowerPlay and appeared firmly in control despite defending a rather modest score. But standing between them and victory was Marizanne Kapp, whose innings of remarkable composure turned the contest on its head as the Proteas won by six wickets in Manchester on Sunday to keep their campaign alive.
The defeat puts India in a precarious position as they now most likely have to win their remaining two fixtures – against Bangladesh and Australia – to remain in contention for a semifinal spot. When they look back at the game, the inability to capitalise on a decent start and a forgettable fielding effort may come back to haunt the 50-over world champions.
Kapp’s first task with the bat was simply to survive. With Laura Wolvaardt and Annerie Dercksen dismissed in Sree Charani’s double-wicket maiden and the ball gripping just enough to keep the batters guessing, the all-rounder resisted the temptation to force the pace. Instead, she absorbed the pressure through singles and twos, waiting patiently for India to err.
The release came in the 10th over when Kapp carved Prema Rawat over extra cover before a top-edged sweep just evaded Nandini Sharma’s desperate one-handed attempt at deep backward square, sailed over for six, helping South Africa collect 14 runs from the over and shift the momentum.
From there, Kapp steadily moved through the gears. She mixed innovation with classical strokeplay, scooping Nandini over short fine, stepping out to loft Sree Charani over mid-off and repeatedly sweeping anything drifting into her arc. Her reading of the conditions was exemplary as she targeted the right bowlers without ever allowing the required rate to climb out of reach.
India’s fielding only made her task easier. On 31, Kapp survived when Radha Yadav overran a chance at long-on off Charani. Four overs later, the same fielder grassed a far more straightforward opportunity at long-on off Shafali Verma, the ball popping out of her hands after Kapp had picked out the fielder perfectly. The reprieves proved costly.
Kapp brought up a superb half-century with consecutive boundaries off Arundhati Reddy before taking complete control of the innings. A crunching drive through extra cover, a towering straight six off Shafali and two more sixes off Deepti Sharma in the penultimate over extinguished India’s hopes as she remained unbeaten on a masterful 81 off 45 balls.
Taznim Brits played the ideal supporting role. Her 40 off 36 balls lacked Kapp’s fluency but was no less valuable as she absorbed pressure early, rotated the strike effectively and chipped in with timely boundaries. Together, the pair added 97 runs in just 63 balls, a partnership that took South Africa from a position of crisis to one of control and ultimately sealed a memorable victory.
Underwhelming batting
India’s innings consisted of two contrasting halves. The opening pair of Smriti Mandhana and Shafali attacked from the outset, but once South Africa struck, the innings lost momentum on a surface that became harder to score on.
Mandhana continued her tournament form with a 17 off 12 balls, driving and pulling Shabnim Ismail before scooping Marizanne Kapp. But the latter had the last word, producing a wobble-seam delivery that jagged back to bowl the left-hander.
Shafali maintained the early momentum. After settling in, she took 17 runs off a Chloe Tryon over and raced to 31 off 15 balls. But a faint glove off an Ismail bouncer was detected on review, ending her innings. India reached 59/2 after the Powerplay, but that proved their high point.
Promoted to No.3, Yastika Bhatia struck three boundaries before Ayabonga Khaka trapped her LBW for 15. Jemimah Rodrigues struggled for fluency and chipped a return catch to Nadine de Klerk after scoring 10. India slipped from 54/1 to 83/4 by the 11th over.
Harmanpreet Kaur and Deepti added 33 for the fifth wicket in a rebuilding phase. Playing her 200th T20I, the skipper made 24 off 22 before chopping an Ismail off-cutter onto her stumps. Deepti kept India afloat with 29 off 21, using the sweep before miscuing Nonkululeko Mlaba.
Richa Ghosh, unlike earlier in the tournament, never found her rhythm. South Africa denied her pace, restricting her to 15 off 14 before Kapp dismissed her. India’s promising start faded into a below-par total as South Africa’s disciplined bowling prevented any late acceleration.
Brief Scores: India 158/7 in 20 overs (Shafali Verma 31; Marizanne Kapp 2/27) lost to South Africa 161/4 in 19.1 overs (Marizanne Kapp 81 not out, Taznim Brits 40; Sree Charani 3/24) by 6 wickets.
India's Sree Charani celebrates bowling and catching out South Africa's Laura Wolvaardt during the ICC Women's T20 World Cup match between India and South Africa, at Emirates Old Trafford, Manchester, England, Sunday June 21, 2026. (Nigel French/PA via AP) 
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