Asked to bat, India never got the momentum it needed and could only manage 177 for nine.
Lizelle Lee and Laura Wolvaardt shared the highest opening wicket stand against an under-prepared India to give South Africa an emphatic eight-wicket win in the first ODI of the five match series in Lucknow on Sunday.
Asked to bat, India never got the momentum it needed and could only manage 177 for nine despite a sedate fifty from skipper Mithali Raj (50 off 85) and a quick-fire 40 off 41 balls from her deputy Harmanpreet Kaur Lee (83 not out off 122) while Wolvaardt (80 off 110) helped South Africa chase down the target in 40.1 overs with a record 169-run stand.
India would quickly like to forget their first outing in 12 months and come back much stronger in the next game against a side which has come into the series with substantial game time.
The South African opening duo did not look any sort of trouble against the India pacers as well as their highly rated spinners. Lee smashed 11 fours…