3 lessons India can learn from South Africa in 2024 Women's T20 World Cup

On paper and even in the "eye test," there wasn't much difference between India and South Africa's quality before the 2024 Women's T20 World Cup. They had similar histories in the competition, a similar mix of experience and youth, similarly close-bounded teams, and a similar will to overcome the behemoth that's Australia.

But as India fell short by nine runs in the group stage game that might have sealed their spot in the semi-final, South Africa emerged with flying (rainbow) colors with an eight-wicket win in the semi-final. It was their first win over the Aussies in the competition and the Kangaroos' first failure to reach the final since 2015.

Sports professionals often don't deserve the harsh criticism they get. That's especially important when it comes to women cricketers in India, whose journies are more challenging than what most arm-chair critics care to know about.

But there are some lessons Harmanpreet Kaur and Co. can learn from Laura Wolvaardt's brilliant Proteas side that's on the brink of history. Here are three.

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#3 Fielding wins you games

If India held a meeting and allowed players to speak up about their opinions on what went wrong in their campaign, pacer Arundhati Reddy almost certainly would have stood up and said that their fielding was, again, below par. She was on the receiving end of so many dropped catches that it was hard to keep a count.

This team has improved its fielding a lot and they have been open in acknowledging how it's a never-ending process. You only need to watch the match against Pakistan where it felt like every diving catch stuck for the players.

But there's still a massive gap between India and South Africa in the skill, despite the starting point not being too far apart. Despite the work gone behind the scenes, India have way too many fielders to hide. For the opposition, these are like pressure valves -- after a few dot balls, they can chance risky singles to these fielders.

South Africa didn't allow Australia an inch in the semi-final. Their bowling plans and execution outsmarted Tahlia McGrath's women but that was buttressed by hawkish efforts in the field. And South Africa came to the tournament with their fielding switch turned on and flowing, while India looked like they needed some warmups, which cost them the first-game-yet-virtual-quarter-final against New Zealand.

Despite how good Renuka Singh and Asha Sobhana are, India need to start considering fielding as a metric for selection to playing 11s. And fielding is just not about catching practice, the mentality shift of suffocating oppositions with unrelenting pressure and teamwork needs to go a notch or two higher.

South Africa are the definition of teamwork. India have all the ingredients for it, too, but the coaches and the players need to be more ruthless in their choices.

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#2 Absorbing pressure isn't enough

The ruthlessness also seems to continue to be lagging in batting. Harmanpreet and Co. have seemed stuck on the 2017 innings played by the skipper: it has always looked like the players are trying things for themselves, hoping they can play the long innings required for the team to succeed.

It comes from a good place and the intentions are unquestionable. But the T20 game has fast moved past that mindset. The reason behind both South Africa and Australia's batting success is a symbiotic relationship between two elements: batting depth and the top-order trusting that batting depth to go all-out, ASAP.

For example, when South Africa played Australia, they couldn't get into double digits in the first two overs of the chase, with Tazmin Britz and Wolvaardt playing and missing/mis-hitting half-a-dozen balls. But Brits never gave up on her intent and with a four and six soon after, gave her team the spark in the powerplay.

Wolvaardt and Player of the Match Anneke Bosch carried that superbly, never shying away from playing their shots against every bowler. India, on the other hand, looked too bogged down by their past experiences, trying to carefully manage a bigger target of 152 and looking like wanting to get there in 120 balls.

India were at 110/3 in the 16th. Harmanpreet and star all-rounder Deepti Sharma had strung together 63 runs in 54 balls and were still struggling to rotate the strike and find boundaries, almost pushing the can further down the road, hoping that they would chase the score if they could take the game "deep" enough.

South Africa didn't just absorb pressure. They never gave Australia that respect, or the feeling that they were the superior team. Bosch and Wolvaardt kept hitting back with calculative risks and the game never went into the death overs, where Australia, thanks to their experience, have always been better at managing nerves.

South Africa, with their batting, screamed "we are better than you" and McGrath and Co. looked caught off-guard and made more mistakes. India have taken the right steps in taking the help of a sports psychologist for these situations. But being able to play good shots under pressure isn't enough, there's more to be done.

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#1 The system needs to step up

It's easier to blame the players because their performances are tangible. But they are also the ones who'd know their mistakes more than anyone else, they'd be hurting the most and would be waiting for a chance to turn it around.

But defeats are more than what happens on the field. For instance, the last T20I India played before the World Cup in October was three months previously in July. Whereas, South Africa played a three T20I series against Pakistan in September. Moreover, compared to the Proteas, India hardly played any cricket under the lights -- a crucial factor for fielding -- in the leadup to the tournament.

The coaches failed to address obvious weaknesses like fielding issues and the number three conundrum in the batting order, while there wasn't any real competition for some players, who then didn't seem on their toes.

You need to attack T20s by addressing delicate details, by making sure the players compete to win at any cost without looking at their personal milestones. That requires a joint effort of everyone from the board to the support staff -- something which South Africa have managed expertly and their vision is for everyone to see.

And finally, there's a need of a "step-up" from the fans, too. The kind of vile and misogynisitic trolling India has faced on social media since the defeat from Australia would not only affect the players but also push so many young girls away from the game, hurting the country and the sport.

It's not to say that such elements don't exist in any other country. But the support South Africa received from their fans after losing a final to Australia at home last year would've gone a long way in helping their belief and their fight for the badge.

It's no a surprise they are in a second consecutive final and India, Indian stakeholders and Indian fans can begin their soul-searching by looking at them.