Durban, April 18 (IANS) Team India’s vice-captain Smriti Mandhana admitted that her side failed to capitalise on a strong start with the bat but drew positives from their late fightback despite going down by six wickets in the opening T20I against South Africa at Kingsmead.

The hosts secured a six-wicket victory, taking a 1-0 lead in the five-match series to start the important home series on a high. This series also acts as a preparation for both teams ahead of the T20 World Cup, which begins on June 12 in England.

“We definitely started well with the bat. Shafali really got going. We could not capitalise as a batting unit,” Mandhana said after the match, reflecting on India’s inability to convert a promising powerplay into a bigger total.

India raced away early thanks to an aggressive start from Shafali Verma, but a slowdown in the latter half of the innings saw them finish below par, which proved costly in the context of the game. Despite the defeat, Mandhana highlighted the team’s resilience with the ball, especially their effort to push the contest deep into the final over.

“But positives for us is that even though we lost our way in the bowling innings, we came back really well to take this match to the last over, speaks a lot about the players,” she added.

India’s bowlers struggled for consistency through large parts of South Africa’s chase, conceding extras and missing key opportunities, but managed to claw back towards the end to keep the contest alive. Mandhana also pointed to the team’s learning curve, especially after a relatively long break following their previous international assignment.

“A lot of learnings. We’ve had one month almost after the Australia series. Everyone’s getting into the groove, so I’m sure this match, we’ll all go back and think about what we have to work on and come back stronger,” she noted.

With the series continuing, Mandhana expressed confidence that the team would be better prepared for the upcoming fixture, particularly with more familiarity with conditions.

“Next match is a day match, we had two sessions in the afternoon here when we came. So, I’m sure that all the girls will be well-prepped,” she said.

On a personal note, the opener acknowledged her own disappointment with the bat but remained optimistic about bouncing back stronger.

“Been batting well in the nets, but couldn’t come up today, got out unfortunately, but if you get out in a low score, you’re always pumped to go out in the next match and again get a big one and win the match for the country,” Mandhana concluded.

India will look to address their shortcomings and level the series in the next match.

–IANS

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