South Africa gain early edge in T20WC preparations

Khaka’s spell sets the tone as South Africa move ahead in a series serving as crucial T20 World Cup preparation.

18 April, 2026

With the ICC Women's T20 World Cup edging closer, the opening T20I between South Africa and India provided both sides with an important checkpoint in their preparations for the global event in June.

In Durban, South Africa drew first blood with a composed six-wicket win, taking a 1-0 lead in the five-match series. At the heart of it was Ayabonga Khaka, whose outstanding spell of 3 for 16 helped restrict India to 157 for 7 before skipper Laura Wolvaardt anchored the chase with a measured half-century.

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Reflecting on the performance, Khaka pointed to South Africa’s emphasis on simplifying their approach after the lessons of the New Zealand tour.

“Today it was all about us to come and be simple. That’s what we spoke about as a team in the morning,” Khaka said after the match.

The quick turnaround between series meant the focus had to quickly shift from what went wrong to what could be corrected.

“For the last three days, we had tough sessions. I think we knew after New Zealand what went wrong. Today it was all about us to come and improve on those things.”

While the result gave South Africa an early edge, Khaka made it clear the bigger picture remains the team’s readiness for the World Cup.

“We trust our processes. We just need to make sure that at the end of the day, we're preparing for the World Cup. After this series, we're supposed to know what works for us and what doesn’t. That’s the most important thing for this series.”

Quiet achiever Ayabonga Khaka driving South Africa | Women's T20WC 2023

Ayabonga Khaka lets her bowling do the talking to push South Africa toward the knockout stages at the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2023

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That T20 World Cup lens was equally present in India’s camp. Despite the defeat, Jemimah Rodrigues saw enough positives in the performance while admitting the side fell short with the bat.

“We were around 15-20 runs short. When the time came to capitalise, we were not able to capitalise,” Rodrigues said

Rodrigues’ 36 and skipper Harmanpreet Kaur’s unbeaten 47 had steadied India after early blows, but the inability to push on in the closing overs proved decisive.

“I got out at the wrong time because for set batters it’s easier to take it deep.

"In the next match, I will come back and take that responsibility again," she admitted.

Even in defeat, India’s focus remains on the larger preparation arc heading into the T20 World Cup.

"Coming to the World Cup, we have batting till the end, a lot of all-rounders.

"But also, the all-rounders coming later have not got so much match time and experience.

"So, I think playing here in South Africa is going to be really great for us as a preparation also for the World Cup and for our entire batting order too," she added.