Manchester, June 21 (IANS) Marizanne Kapp admitted she struggled really in the first 10‑15 balls before finding her timing, as the veteran South Africa all‑rounder struck a career‑best unbeaten 81 off 45 balls to lead her side to a six‑wicket win over India in the 2026 Women’s T20 World Cup Group A clash at Old Trafford.

“First of all, thank you to Jesus Christ. That wasn’t me. It was a tough game. Playing India is always extremely tough and I’m very proud of the team for coming back this game the way we did. I was just praying, to be honest.

“No, I seemed to do a little bit better when I’m in earlier. I struggled, really struggled those first 10, 15 balls and eventually got my timing and then I just put my head down and I felt like that partnership with Taz (Brits) set it up beautifully for us,” said Marizanne at the conclusion of the game after getting Player of the Match award.

South Africa’s win has kept them alive in the race to semi-finals, with Marizanne’s knock and her 97‑run stand with Tazmin becoming decisive in a chase that had looked improbable for the Proteas after a sluggish start.

On managing the chase, Marizanne explained, “Look, we said it’s a tough place to bat, actually, because you can’t let it get away from you too far, but you can also not lose more wickets.

“So we just said, if we don’t let it get past 10 runs and over, we will definitely, we’ve got the big hitters back and that can clear the boundary. And we just put our heads down and as soon as we looked to be a bit more positive, it worked for us.”

Marizanne, who also picked crucial scalps of Smriti Mandhana and Richa Ghosh, also praised her bowling unit for pulling India back after they had a strong start. “We know they always do, especially this wicket it was a little bit flat with the ball. You’re always nervous when you come up against an Indian team. I mean, they’ve got some wonderful players, but I feel like the way we brought it back, that probably saved us today.”

Reflecting on the pressure of a must‑win game in front of a largely Indian crowd, Marizanne said, “Again, just by praying. But I seem to like the Indian fans. It feels like they’re shouting my name, so I don’t mind the crowd too much.”

–IANS

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