India captain Harmanpreet Kaur played a crucial knock of 66 runs off 38 balls in the third T20I against South Africa in Johannesburg. Opener Shafali Verma played an incredible knock of 64 runs, while Smriti Mandhana added 37 as India posted 192 runs on the board in the first innings. While chasing, Proteas captain Laura Wolvaardt decimated India’s bowlers, smacking 115 runs as South Africa won the match by nine wickets.
In the meantime, Harmanpreet has set a new world record for most runs as captain in women’s T20Is. Courtesy of her half-century, the Indian skipper has surpassed Chamari Athapaththu in the legendary list. She now holds the record with 3017 runs to her name, while Athapaththu has 3016. Former Australia international Meg Lanning is third on the list, having scored 2619 runs in the format.
Most runs as captain in women's T20Is:
| Captains | Runs |
| Harmanpreet Kaur | 3017 |
| Chamari Athapaththu | 3016 |
| Meg Lanning | 2619 |
| Charlotte Edwards | 2529 |
| Suzie Baters | 2236 |
India trailing 3-0 in series
With the T20 World Cup 2026 less than two months away, India are trailing 3-0 in the five-match series against South Africa. It’s a very worrying sign as neither the batting or bowling department have stepped so far. In the third T20I, the batters, particularly Harmanpreet and Shafali managed to keep the scoreboard ticking, but senior cricketers such as Smriti need to find her rhythm soon, or else India could suffer more.
The bowling unit, in the meantime, may need a reshuffle. Renuka Singh Thakur has struggled to live up to her potential, while Deepti Sharma has proved to be extremely expensive. Shreyanka Patil is the only bowler to have done well so far in the series and her form leading into the mega tournament will give the young spinner plenty of confidence. For others, they need to pull up their socks as time is running out.
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