Overview

• Heavy showers in Visakhapatnam forced ground staff to cover the pitch and outfield and disrupted India’s training on the eve of the match at the ACA-VDCA Stadium.
• The Indian Meteorological Department forecast a cloudy day with rain or thundershowers along with possible thunderstorms, lightning and strong surface winds for Thursday.
• AccuWeather issued a red alert for heavy rain on match day, creating a credible possibility of interruptions or a reduced-overs contest.
• Reports differed on India’s optional nets attendance, with one outlet saying Harmanpreet Kaur and Jemimah Rodrigues were absent and another stating they were the only senior players who practiced.
• India enter unbeaten after wins over Sri Lanka and Pakistan, while South Africa rebounded from a heavy loss to England by defeating New Zealand, with coverage noting early seam movement could feature before spin becomes influential later.