Coming out of the six-day quarantine since arriving here last Thursday, Indian women cricketers finally got to train as a unit after a year, a two-hour session behind closed doors at the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana International Stadium on Wednesday.
India women’s team last played a game in March 2020, in the final of the ICC World T20 against hosts Australia. Barring a three-team competition during IPL in the UAE, it has been a frustrating wait through the pandemic while the men’s team smoothly resumed its international fixtures.
The wait will end on Sunday when India begin a limited-overs series against South Africa with the first ODI. A six-day hard quarantine that ended on Wednesday means India, ranked No.2 in ODIs and No. 3 in T20Is, will start from scratch. There has been criticism of selection too. The ODI squad, led by Mithali Raj, will be without 17-year-old opening batter, Shafali Verma, who has been selected only for the T20s.
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{{/usCountry}}South Africa have arrived after beating Pakistan in both white-ball formats in Durban. Coach Hilton Moreeng said: “It’s our first tour of the Covid-19 era. We knew what to expect before we arrived…, all the players have now been exposed to bubble life, this being our second tour within a BSE.”
The Proteas last toured India in September and October 2019, losing the ODIs 3-0 and the T20s 3-1.