South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt scored 54 runs off 34 balls, while Sune Luus contributed 57 runs off 46 deliveries to secure an eight-wicket victory against India in the second T20 International on Sunday in Durban. The Proteas reached the target of 148 runs in 17.1 overs, taking a 2-0 lead in the five-match series.
Chasing a total of 148, South African openers Wolvaardt and Luus started aggressively, aiming to complete the chase swiftly. They scored 66 without loss by the end of the powerplay, with Wolvaardt on 30 and Luus on 34 runs. The pair continued to accelerate, reaching 92 without loss at the halfway point of the innings.
Wolvaardt reached her second fifty of the series with a boundary in the 11th over, helping South Africa surpass 100 runs. The opening stand ended in the 12th over when Shreyanka Patil dismissed Wolvaardt, but South Africa maintained control and secured victory with nearly three overs remaining.
Earlier, India were asked to bat first and had a solid start despite early wickets, losing Smriti Mandhana and Jemimah Rodrigues within the first five overs. Opener Shafali Verma provided a brisk start, scoring 37 runs in the powerplay with four boundaries and two sixes. Verma and Anushka Sharma assembled a 53-run partnership for the third wicket, stabilising the innings before Sharma was dismissed in the 13th over at 99 for three.
Verma reached her fifty in the 10th over but was dismissed soon after, triggering a collapse as India lost wickets at regular intervals. Captain Harmanpreet Kaur was run out in the 18th over, and India finished their innings at 147 all out.
The third match of the series between India and South Africa will take place at the Wanderers in Johannesburg on Wednesday.
