India Opt to Bowl First in T20I Opener Against South Africa

India's women's cricket team, led by Harmanpreet Kaur, chose to bowl first after winning the toss in the opening T20I against South Africa in Chennai. The decision was influenced by the black-soil Chepauk surface, which Kaur believed would assist spin bowling.

India opted for a three-pronged spin attack, including left-arm spinner Radha Yadav, who was the Player of the Series in Bangladesh, along with Asha Sobhana and Deepti Sharma. Offspinner Shreyanka Patil was surprisingly omitted from the XI.

In the batting department, D Hemalatha was given an opportunity to cement her position at No. 3 in the absence of the injured Yastika Bhatia. Richa Ghosh played her 50th T20I in the match.

South Africa, led by Laura Wolvaardt, were not disheartened by having to bat first. They welcomed the return of allrounder Chloe Tryon, who had missed the earlier part of the tour due to a back injury. Opener Tazmin Brits also made her comeback after missing the Test due to illness.

The series is crucial for both teams as they prepare for the T20 World Cup in Bangladesh in October. While India will participate in the Women's Asia Cup later this month, this could be South Africa's final series before the World Cup.

India are aiming to complete a clean sweep of the tour, having already won the ODI series 3-0 and the one-off Test in Chennai last week.

Tags: #WomensCricket, #INDvSA, #T20I, #HarmanpreetKaur, #LauraWolvaardt