Kashvee Gautam is making her debut for India in the shortest format of the game as South Africa women have asked the Women in Blue to bat first in the first of the five-match T20I series at Kingsmead in Durban on Friday, April 17.
Gautam, 22, is a right-arm seam bowling allrounder who plays for Chandigarh in the domestic arena. She has played a Test and six ODIs in what may shape into a very promising career. She is being fast-tracked into an all-format allrounder as India look to groom fast-bowling allrounders to improve their performance in overseas conditions.
Gautam was handed her Test debut cap in the solitary red-ball game played during India’s multi-format tour of Australia in February-March. Gautam has played 18 Women’s Premier League (WPL) games, bagging 19 wickets at an average of 25.10 and at an economy rate of 7.95. She is also a very promising batter and has aggregated 110 runs for Gujarat Giants in the WPL at a strike rate of 122.22.
The ongoing five-match series is vital for both teams as they build up towards the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup. The marquee tournament will get underway on June 12 in England.
South Africa without key players
South Africa are without two of their senior players. Marizanne Kapp and Dane van Niekerk are out with illness and injury. Kapp is South Africa’s most experienced seam-bowling allrounder, whereas van Niekerk is a former captain and a reliable spin-bowling allrounder.
Emerging all-round sensation Kayla Reyneke is also not a part of the first T20I as she continues to recover from a bout of flu. South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt will have a lot riding on her in the absence of several key players. Notably, South Africa are coming into this series on the back of a 4-1 defeat at the hands of White Ferns. India, meanwhile, registered a historic 2-1 series win in Australia in February.
