Laura Wolvaardt finished unbeaten on 92 off 56 balls as South Africa beat India by 23 runs in the fifth women’s T20I at Willowmoore Park, Benoni, sealing the five-match series 4-1.
Batting first, South Africa reached 155 for six, a total that proved enough after India were held to 132 for eight while chasing 156. Bharti Fulmali made a spirited 40 off 30 balls for India, but India’s chase fell short by 23 runs. Renuka Singh finished with 2 for 21 and Shree Charani took 2 for 22 for India, while Nonkululeko Mlaba claimed two wickets for South Africa, finishing with 2 for 15.
If you were watching the live score today, the decisive moment was Wolvaardt’s unbeaten surge to 92 off 56, the innings that turned a competitive total into a defendable one. Her knock stands out as the defining contribution of the match and the series: South Africa posted 155/6 and then relied on a collective bowling performance to close out the tie.
The result completed a 4-1 series scoreline in South Africa’s favour. The hosts had already taken an unassailable 3-0 lead before the fourth T20I, and while India avoided a sweep by winning the fourth match, they could not carry that momentum into Benoni.
India’s win in the fourth T20I came by 14 runs after they posted 185 for five. Deepti Sharma was the centerpiece of that victory, returning figures of 5 for 19 with the ball and also contributing an unbeaten 36 with the bat as India limited South Africa to 171 for nine. That performance pulled India back into the series after three straight defeats, but the comeback stopped at one match.
The contrast between the fourth and fifth matches was stark: India’s 185 for five in the fourth and South Africa’s 171 for nine left little room for doubt in that game, whereas the fifth was decided on a smaller total and a single big individual score. Across the two teams in the decider, the bowlers produced the crucial breakthroughs that the chasing side needed but ultimately could not string together.
The numbers underline the arc of the series. South Africa’s 4-1 victory reflects both Wolvaardt’s match-winning innings in the decider and the team’s ability to seize the series early with a 3-0 lead. India’s fourth-match fightback, driven by Deepti Sharma’s 5 for 19 and her 36 not out, ensured the series did not end 5-0, but it did not alter the final outcome.
Smriti Mandhana was rested for the fifth T20I, and that fact was noted ahead of the match. Beyond that, the series will be recorded as one where a standalone dominant individual performance — Wolvaardt’s 92 off 56 in Benoni — provided the margin South Africa needed to finish the five-match exchange 4-1.
The clearest conclusion is simple and supported by the scorecard: Wolvaardt’s unbeaten 92 secured the match and the series for South Africa, and India’s single victory, powered by Deepti Sharma in the fourth game, was not enough to prevent a 4-1 series loss.
