India: A journey into the unknown for Luus and Co
"Coming to India is always exciting. We're never sure what to expect when we get here," said the Proteas women's team captain.
Proteas captain Sune Luus with coach Hilton Moreeng are expecting an exciting series against India this month. Picture: BackpagePix
Proteas women’s captain Sune Luus believes South Africa will be stepping into the unknown during their tour to India this month.
Hilton Moreeng and his squad arrived in the sub-continent over the weekend to play India in five ODIs and three T20Is in a bio-secure bubble.
The Proteas women are currently in quarantine for a period of six days, which will be followed by two days of training ahead of the first ODI on Sunday at the Ekana Stadium.
ALSO READ: Lions T20 final hero Rabada: Winning a title feels good
“Coming to India is always exciting. We’re never sure what to expect when we get here,” said Luus.
“For this trip, we’ve never played at the ground, we don’t know what it looks like or what the conditions will be like. I think it will be the same for India as well. So I think it’s going to be an even contest.”
Luus will captain the team once again due to the absence of the injured Dane van Niekerk, who joins all-rounder Chloe Tryon and Masabata Klaas, who sustained an “eleventh-hour injury”, to miss out on the tour.
The Proteas women last toured India in 2019 when they lost the ODI series 3-0 and fell to a 3-1 defeat during the T20I leg of the trip.
“It’s always tough in India and it’s definitely going to be a tough again,” Luus stated. “We have five ODIs and three T20Is with a quick turnaround between games, which in itself is tough. The opponents are very competitive players.
“They have players like Mithali Raj, Harmanpreet Kaur and all those players, who we know are top quality. But I think we are well-prepared to face them.
“We’ve also had game-time behind us and I don’t think they’ve had that, which I’m hoping will be an advantage for us. Obviously we are in India so we’re expecting quite a bit of spin, but luckily we are well-prepared for that. The girls are just so excited and ready to execute their plans and play to the best of their abilities.”
Proteas squad
Sune Luus, Ayabonga Khaka, Shabnim Ismail, Laura Wolvaardt, Trisha Chetty, Sinalo Jafta, Tasmin Britz, Marizanne Kapp, Nondumiso Shangase, Lizelle Lee, Anneke Bosch, Faye Tunniclife, Nonkululeko Mlaba, Mignon du Preez, Nadine de Klerk, Lara Goodall, Tumi Sekhukhune
Schedule
7 March – 1st ODI
9 March – 2nd ODI
12 March – 3rd ODI
14 March – 4th ODI
17 March – 5th ODI
20 March – 1st T20I
21 March – 2nd T20I
23 March – 3rd T20I
For more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.
