South Africa win low-scoring thriller

A strong bowling performance by South Africa women, led by twin four-fors from Marizanne Kapp and Dane van Niekerk, set up the side's two-wicket win over India women in a low-scoring ODI in Bangalore.

India won the toss and chose to bat but Kapp reduced India to 30 for 4 with an incisive spell of pace bowling, taking three wickets between the sixth and 11th overs. Jhulan Goswami walked in and attempted to rebuild the innings with a patient 33 off 81, hitting her first boundary off the 60th ball that she faced. Goswami and Harmanpreet Kaur (31 off 51 balls) put on a 63-run fifth-wicket partnership, but that was not enough to prevent India from folding for 114.

Legspinner van Niekerk, South Africa's second highest wicket taker in ODIs, dismissed both Goswami and Kaur on her way to figures of 4 for 9. Kapp came back to pick up the last wicket in the 39th over, and finished with career-best figures of 4 for 21.

The early end to the India's batting effort meant that the innings break was not taken immediately. Goswami opened the attack for India and bowled with pace, seeming to hurry the South Africans. She removed both openers early, reducing South Africa to 11 for 2 in six overs, before the players went in for a break.

India continued to pick up wickets after the break and had South Africa teetering at 68 for 6. However, Chloe Tryon steadied the chase with a composed 50 and by the time she was dismissed she had taken South Africa to within two runs of victory. "It was challenging coming in at 29 for 4," Tryon said. "I just had to play the situation. After being dropped on 0, I had to basically stay in there and play my shots, and that's what I did."

The 20-year-old Tryon's previous highest score in ODIs was 15*. "I look at myself as a bowling allrounder, but I consider myself a [reasonable] batter as well. I know I can come in and adapt to situations, either T20 or ODI. I definitely proved myself today and was very happy with my performance, though there are a couple of things that I can work on."