After a tough chase with a brilliant unbeaten 84, Nadine de Klerk attributed South Africa's victory over India in the Women's World Cup to Indian pacers' smart targeting in the last 10 overs on a spin-friendly surface.
Chasing 252, South Africa were 211 for seven after 46 overs, and De Klerk hit 45 off 39 balls after safely negotiating spinners Sneh Rana, Sree Charani and Deepti Sharma.
Needing 41 off 24 balls, De Klerk pounced on Kranti Gaud's pace-on deliveries in the 47th over, hitting her two sixes and a four in succession to reduce the target to 23 runs off 18 balls.
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“I think the seamer was much easier on this wicket (to score). I think their spinners bowled very well in that middle phase, and we knew they would have to bowl seamers and that would be the much easier option to play against. We just played smart cricket,” De Klerk said at the post-match press conference.
Off-spinner Deepti bowled the 48th over, and De Klerk managed to find two boundaries off her before putting the finishing touches to the chase by smashing pacer Amanjot Kaur with two sixes in the 49th over.
“We knew if we had to get 40 off the last four and the two of us (De Klerk and Chloe Tryon) were still batting, we could get that. So it was just about building that partnership, getting ourselves in there and then taking down the pacers, and that was always the plan to try and take down the pacers,” she added.
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De Klerk said she kept her thoughts simple as she paced the 54-ball innings and did not try to outdo the deliveries.
“It's my natural game. I've always been kind of an aggressive hitter trying to take charge of the game. I think it was about not hitting the ball. I think simplicity is everything.”
“I think today it was just about really backing myself and just timing the ball. It was a pretty good wicket. So I think it just worked out well, especially with the pacers,” she said.
De Klerk praised South African left-arm spinners Tryon and Nonkululeko Mlaba for smothering India's batters in the middle overs.
Tryon (3/32) and Mlaba (2/46) shared five wickets between them to reduce India to 102 for six, before Richa Ghosh pulled off a save to take India to 251.
“I think as a batsman it is always quite difficult when the ball spins away. We have two very good left-arm spinners and it (India) was quite a right-handed, dominant batting line-up.
“I think Chloe and Mlaba did a fantastic job for us, especially in the middle, so that we could restrict India to 250. Everyone prefers the ball to come back. But you still have to get it right,” she noted.
The 25-year-old also praised skipper Laura Wolvaardt, who made a lead of 70, and Tryon (49) for their crucial contributions during the chase.
“I think Laura and Chloe did well in that middle [phase] just to hold on a bit during that difficult period. I think it got much better with the seams later. So yeah, we felt pretty confident about chasing the 250. I think we made it a little more difficult for ourselves than we would have liked. But yeah, like I said, there are a lot of positives and I'm glad we crossed the line,” she said.
Published on October 10, 2025
