The plan was always to take down Indian pacers: SA''s Nadine de Klerk

Visakhapatnam, Oct 10 (PTI) After marshalling a tough chase with a brilliant unbeaten 84, Nadine de Klerk attributed South Africa’s three-wicket win over India in the Women’s World Cup to the clever targeting of Indian pacers in the final 10 overs on a spin-friendly surface.

Chasing 252, South Africa were 211 for seven after 46 overs, and De Klerk was batting on 45 off 39 balls after safely negotiating spinners Sneh Rana, Sree Charani and Deepti Sharma.

Needing 41 off 24 balls, De Klerk pounced on the pace-on deliveries of Kranti Gaud in the 47th over, smashing her for two sixes and a four in succession to bring down the target to 23 runs off 18 balls.

“I think seam was much easier on this wicket (to score off). I think their spinners bowled really well in that middle phase, and we knew they're going to have to bowl seamers and that was going to be the much easier option to take on. We just played smart cricket,” said De Klerk in the post-match press conference.

Off-spinner Deepti bowled the 48th over, and De Klerk managed to find two boundaries off her before applying finishing touches to the chase, smashing pacer Amanjot Kaur for two sixes in the 49th over.

“We knew that if we had to get 40 of the last four and the two of us (De Klerk and Chloe Tryon) were still batting that we could get it.

“So, it was just about building that partnership, getting ourselves in and then taking the pacers down, and that was always the plan to try and take the pacers down,” she added.

De Klerk said she kept her thoughts simple while pacing the 54-ball innings, and was not trying to overhit the deliveries.

“It's my natural game. I've always been kind of an aggressive batter trying to take the game on. I think it was just about not trying to overhit the ball. I think simplicity is everything.

“I think today was just about really backing myself and just time the ball. It was quite a good wicket. So, I think it just worked out well, especially with the pacers,” she said.

De Klerk lauded South African left-arm spinners Tryon and Noku Mlaba for choking India’s batters in the middle overs.

Tryon (3/32) and Mlaba (2/46) shared five wickets among them to reduce India to 102 for six before Richa Ghosh mounted a rescue act to take India to 251.

“I think as a batter it's always quite tough when the ball's turning away. We have two very good left-arm spinners and it (India’s) was quite a right-handed, dominant batting lineup.

“I think Chloe and Mlaba did a brilliant job for us, especially in the middle so that we could restrict India to 250. Everybody kind of prefers the ball coming back in. But you still have to nail it,” she noted.

The 25-year-old also praised skipper Laura Wolvaardt, who made a 70 up the order, and Tryon (49) for making vital contributions during the chase.

“I think Laura and Chloe did well in that middle just to stick it through a little in that tough period. I think it got much better later on with the seamers. So yeah, we were pretty confident in chasing 250.

“I think we made it a bit harder for ourselves than we would have liked. But yeah, like I said, there's a lot of positives and glad we got over the line,” she said. PTI UNG ATK