IND-W vs SA-W: All the important records and milestones from the T20I series

Indian women cricket team have registered a scintillating win against South African Women in the third and last T20I of the series. The hosts had already lost the series after facing defeat in the first two games. But they did show a dominating performance in the third match to get a consolation win. Indian captain Smriti Mandhana elected to bowl first after winning the toss, and the bowlers proved her right. The visitors could only manage a total of 112/7 in 20 overs.

Chasing this target, India got a flying start with Shafali Verma playing a blinder. She smashed 60 runs off 30 balls and added 96 runs for the first wicket with Smriti Mandhana. The Indian skipper scored 48 runs off 28 balls. The hosts won the game by 9 wickets with 54 balls to spare. Rajeshwari Gayakwad who took 3 wickets for 9 runs in her 4 overs was adjudged player of the match.

Let’s look at important stats and numbers after the end of the T20I series between India Women and South Africa Women:

1 – This was the first time that Indian Women lost to the South African team in a T20I series. Before this, the hosts had won all the 3 series played against Proteas Women.

2 – Shafali Verma won the player of the series award for her wonderful performance. This was her second series award in her T20I career, and she is the first teenager to win 2 series awards in T20Is.

8 – Shafali Verma hit 8 sixes in this series. This is the second-highest tally of maximums for an Indian woman in the 3-match T20I series after Harmanpreet Kaur who hit 9 sixes against the West Indies in 2016.

5⃣0⃣! ??

Sensational stuff this is from @TheShafaliVerma as she brings up her third T20I half-century in 26 balls. ?? @Paytm #INDWvSAW #TeamIndia

Follow the match ? https://t.co/TMhte1veQD pic.twitter.com/nLunq3AQjy

— BCCI Women (@BCCIWomen) March 23, 2021

96.67 – Shafali hit smashed 58 runs of her innings only through fours and sixes. This is 96.67 % of her total runs, which is the second-highest boundary percentage with a minimum of 50 runs in T20I innings.

9 – Rajeshwari Gayakwad picked up 3 wickets for 9 runs, which is the fourth-most economical 3-wicket haul by an Indian spinner in T20Is.

4 – In the second game of the series, India lost on the last ball with South Africa successfully chasing the target. This was the fourth time in T20Is that India lost on the last bowl when they had batted first.

54 – India won the third T20I with 54 balls to spare. This is the second biggest win for India in the shortest format in terms of balls remaining.