Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur said dropped catches proved costly in his six-match squad in South Africa in the Women’s T20 World Cup Group A match on Sunday.India had a chance to put South Africa under pressure but failed to hold on. Radha Yadav dropped two catches at long on, gives Marizanne Kapp safety lines. Kapp made the most of those opportunities, remaining unbeaten on 81 from 45 balls with seven fours and four sixes, and took South Africa to victory.“We had a couple of chances in between but we couldn’t take those chances,” Harmanpreet, who became the first cricketer in men’s and women’s cricket combined to play 200 T20 Internationals, told the broadcaster after the match, as quoted by news agency PTI.India still have two group stage matches, against Bangladesh and Australia, and Harmanpreet said the team must be positive despite the setback.“We have two games and this is the time to stay positive. Shree Charani and Shafali (Verma) have bowled well but the fielders are not supporting them. We have to take the opportunity at this level. We are not lucky enough with this.”The Indian captain said the team will review its plans before the remaining matches. India are second in Group A behind Australia, who have won all three matches. The top two teams from each group will qualify for the semi-finals.“We have two games and this is the time to think about it. We will sit and rethink what to do and then we will see the changes to be made,” said Harmanpreet.She also pointed to Kapp’s innings as the turning point of the contest.“She (Kapp) took the game away from us. She gave us two chances and those were the crucial moments and that took the game away from us.”Harmanpreet said there are lessons to be learned from the defeat and stressed the importance of staying positive ahead of the upcoming matches.“(There are) a lot of learnings, a lot of positive moments and a lot of moments where I have to stay strong. Now is the time to stay positive and think about what to do in the next games. I hope we will come better in the next games,” said the Indian captain.South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt praised Kapp’s innings and called it one of the best she has witnessed.“We were very stressed on the bench there. I think to win from the position we were in was absolutely incredible and it’s probably one of the best shots I’ve seen under so much pressure,” Wolvaardt said.He added that beating India, the team that defeated South Africa in the final of the 2025 ODI World Cup, made the result even more special.“… and to do it against a side that we lost the final (2025 ODI World Cup) is also pretty special. She’s probably the greatest big match player I’ve ever seen. I’m really happy she’s in my team,” he added.
