In the 18th match of the Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 played at the Old Trafford ground in Manchester, the Indian women’s team had to face a crushing defeat by 6 wickets at the hands of South Africa. Batting first, India scored 158 runs in 20 overs by losing 7 wickets, which the South African team achieved by losing 4 wickets in 19.1 overs. Disappointed with this defeat in her historic 200th T20 International match, Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur expressed her pain after the match. She said that the failures in fielding and the match-winning innings of South African all-rounder Marizanne Kapp were the main reasons for the defeat.
What did Harmanpreet Kaur say?
While praising Marizanne Kapp, who was the key architect of South Africa’s victory, Harmanpreet expressed her anger over her own poor fielding. She said, “Marizan Kapp batted brilliantly today. She single-handedly took the match away from us. But the truth is, she gave us two crucial opportunities, but unfortunately, we couldn’t capitalize on them. At this level of cricket, when you let such big players miss chances, no one lets you win the match easily. That was the turning point of the match.”
Defending a target of 159, India’s spin bowling proved ineffective in this match. The captain expressed disappointment with the performance of some bowlers, saying, “The pitch was turning a little in the middle of the match. Shreya Charani and Shafali Verma bowled really well. They made things difficult for the African batsmen, but unfortunately, they didn’t get any support from the other bowlers. The other spinners will have to think about how to bowl on such pitches.”
“Luck did not favor us”
Despite suffering their first defeat of the tournament, Harmanpreet insisted on maintaining a positive attitude. “We always talk about seizing opportunities at this level, but we were unlucky today,” she said. “However, we still have two more matches left. This is not the time to be discouraged, but to stay positive and look forward to the upcoming matches.”
Harmanpreet looked emotional about her experience of becoming the world’s first cricketer to play 200 T20Is. She said, “Cricket has taught me a lot, given me many positive moments, and also given me moments where I have to remain mentally strong. As captain, it is now my responsibility to talk to my teammates, encourage them, and create a positive atmosphere within the team. We have 2-3 days before the next match. We will sit down and introspect, correct our mistakes, and choose our best playing eleven accordingly.”
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