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The South African women’s cricket team landed in Bengaluru last Sunday ahead of their India tour, which includes a one-off Test, three ODIs, and three T20Is. The visitors, arriving after a two-week training camp, are confident of a good display over the next three weeks in India, according to their captain, Laura Wolvaardt.
Before the ODI series, starting June 16, South Africa will face the Board President’s XI at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Thursday. However, the real test lies against top Indian players in the ODIs.
With the likes of Smriti Mandhana, Harmanpreet Kaur, Shafali Verma, and Richa Ghosh, the visitors will have a tough challenge. Wolvaardt is aware of the threat these batters bring and mentioned that they have spent considerable time drawing up plans to counter them.
“It is going to be a tough tour, which is going to test our bowling line-up, especially if the wicket (at Chinnaswamy) is as flat as it was in the IPL. We are going to be very smart in our options,” said Wolvaardt.
“They have world-class players, and the Indian batters have been doing well. With the WPL experience, they are also explosive. So our plan A is going to be the key around our bowling attack. We have the talent and the right people, but we must plan properly for each batter.”
After the ODI series concludes on June 23, South Africa will head over to Chennai for the Test match, starting June 28, followed by a T20I series beginning on July 5. In the longer format, Wolvaardt is expecting ‘slow conditions’ in Chennai and believes the team is geared up for the tough test ahead.
