The Indian women’s cricket team surely had not foreseen such a tough fight from their South African counterparts in the five-match ODI series. Nor did the home team expect to be playing the catching-up game going into the fourth match today. It’s now or never for them, otherwise the series could well slip out of their hands.

The Indian bowling attack, especially the spinners, have not been as incisive as one would expect them to be on home soil. The way the South Africans batted after India had posted a healthy 248, and won the rain-hit fourth match, albeit by DLS Method, is a strong warning for the home team to buck up before it’s too late.