New Delhi, Aug. 10 -- JOHANNESBURG - The moment that defined India's first T20I series in South Africa this year arrived in the fourth match, when Deepti Sharma collected five wickets in a single innings for the first time in T20 international cricket. The problem was timing. India had already conceded the series. South Africa had taken it 3-0 by that point, the fourth match was a consolation fixture, and Deepti's historic bowling performance registered as an emphatic answer to a question that had already been answered the wrong way.

That remains the tension India Women carry into Johannesburg for the second time in 2026. Cricket South Africa confirmed this week that the August tour would expand by three additional T20I matches, structur...