It is unusual in July for Chennai to receive rain that lasts long enough to cut short a T20 match. On Sunday, a steady drizzle robbed the 13,000-odd that had turned up for the second women's T20I at the MA Chidambaram Stadium of a potentially entertaining contest as only one innings could be completed. In that time, though, they witnessed two small tales of redemption. One from Anneke Bosch, and one from Deepti Sharma.
India used five different bowlers in the first six overs after making four changes to the XI that played the opening game, which South Africa won. South Africa raced to 66 for 1 in the powerplay. In the first match, India let the game slip in the middle overs (7 to 16), going at 10.10 per over. That allowed South Africa to post a match-winning 189 for 8, after they had been 44 for 1 in the powerplay.
This time, though, Deepti inspired a fightback in the same period.
She was coming off returns of 0 for 45 - the most expensive India bowler on Friday night.
On Sunday, she put her decade of international experience to use, varying the pace when needed but also bowling tight lines and lengths. Her first over, the seventh of the innings, went for just four runs. Deepti continued, and first ball of her next over, she picked up the big wicket of Marizanne Kapp, who miscued one to S Sajana at mid-off. Deepti let out a big roar, but her redemption mission was far from complete.
Bosch, a top-order batting allrounder, walked out at No. 4 for the first time in her T20I career. Against Australia and Sri Lanka earlier in the year, she had batted at No. 5 - for the first time in her career - in four out of five innings, and then opened when Laura Wolvaardt missed a game. Bosch had a different challenge on Sunday.
After the powerplay, the pitch had become slower and scoring became tougher. Perhaps because Bosch hadn't converted her starts across formats on this India tour, she started cautiously. Like when Deepti bowled a short one on leg with fine leg in the ring, Bosch hit it straight to the fielder instead of putting it away to the boundary, which she could have with a bit more power and intent. And with that, Deepti finished her first spell with 2-0-8-1.
At the other end, even when Tazmin Brits was targeting Shreyanka Patil and Radha Yadav for boundaries, Bosch was content to tap it around and take singles. Overall, with the spinners taking pace off the ball, South Africa could score at only 6.50 in the middle overs.
Deepti returned in the 14th when South Africa were 110 for 1 and immediately gave India the breakthrough they needed. She got Brits, who had raced to her second consecutive half-century, to come out of her crease with one that was sent through slower, shorter, and a bit wide of off. Brits' heave connected with nothing and she was stumped by debutant Uma Chetry.
Once Brits went, Bosch stepped up.
"By the time I went in, our main goal was just to build a partnership at that stage and maybe, get to about 100 off 12 overs," Bosch said after the match. "It did get a little bit tough, but we didn't want to lose too many wickets in that period, so that we have wickets at the end. The plan was to not take too many risks at that point."
Similar to Brits' start in the opening game, Bosch made a run-a-ball 22 and her biggest test in the death overs (17 to 20) was to survive Deepti's final over when she came back to bowl the 17th. By that time, South Africa had also lost Chloe Tryon.
The over started with Bosch flat-batting a length ball back to Deepti, with the third umpire confirming that the ball had not carried. Bosch took two singles in the next four deliveries. But when Deepti floated the last ball, Bosch went down the track and lofted it down the ground for four to take her strike rate above 100.
They went head to head for ten balls. Bosch got nine runs in those.
Deepti was done. With 4-0-20-2, she was the most economical bowler on Sunday.
But Bosch carried forward the good work from that last Deepti delivery to smash two more fours off Patil in the penultimate over before being dismissed off a mistimed sweep off the same bowler for a 32-ball 40. She had done her job, and Annerie Dercksen's three successive fours in the final over lifted South Africa to an above-par 177 for 6 before the weather took over.
Bosch admitted that it was all quite laborious after the powerplay but she was happy with how the team played to their goal of "scoring 180-plus consistently".
"I wouldn't say I'm completely happy with my innings," she said. "That's probably one of the the most I've struggled in a long time in the middle. I felt like I was going nowhere slowly at a stage.
"The wicket started off pretty well. It looked like it was coming on nicely in the beginning of the first couple of overs. Later on with the ball getting softer and a bit wet from the rain and the outfield, it became a little bit more difficult to score. When Kappie came out, she did say that it's a bit slower and a little bit more difficult to score. India probably changed their plans a little bit. I felt like the spinners, maybe, bowled a little bit flatter, didn't give it as much flight. But we adapted quite well."
Adaptability will be tested again come Tuesday, when India and South Africa face off for one last time in this all-format series. There will be eyes on the Chennai sky. And in the middle, Deepti and Bosch, with all the confidence and momentum from Sunday, will be expected to play key roles.