South Africa took an insurmountable 3-0 lead in the five-match T20I series after beating India by nine wickets in the third fixture on Wednesday at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg.

The Proteas’ series win also meant an end of Women in Blue’s two-year unbeaten record in bilateral series. The last time India lost one was in January 2024, when visiting Australia won the series 2-1.

South African captain Laura Wolvaardt (115 off 53), who smacked the joint third-fastest century in women’s T20Is, and opening partner Sune Luus (64 off 42) were the chief architects of this victory. The duo stitched a stand of 183 to help chase down 193 in just 16.3 overs.

Shreyanka Patil took the sole wicket of the innings in the 16th over as Wolvaardt holed out to substitute fielder Anushka Sharma over at deep mid-wicket. But the series had long gone out of India’s hands.

More to follow…