South Africa thumped England by 125 runs in their semifinal on Wednesday, while India chased down a record 339 to defeat defending champions Australia and set up the decider at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai.
South Africa have been in the final of the last two Women’s T20 World Cups and lost both, first to Australia and then New Zealand, and Wolvaardt will hope it is third time lucky this time round.
“It’s going to be a very tough game,” she told reporters on Saturday. “The whole crowd will be behind India, but at the same time it also puts a lot of pressure on them. They have the whole country behind them and are expected to win, so I think that might play in our favour.
“We’re very excited for the game, they’re a very good side, and we know we’ll have to play some really good cricket to beat them.”
Wolvaardt says they will not let past disappointments erode their confidence going into Sunday’s clash.
“We’re trying not to think too much about the past. Every cricket game starts at zero, and we can’t bring any of our history into this one, whether it’s finals we’ve lost or games we’ve won against India,” she said.
“We’re starting completely fresh. There’s big pressure on both teams, and whoever stays the calmest under that pressure will most likely come out on top.”
South Africa defeated India by three wickets in their pool clash earlier in the competition, but Wolvaardt is adamant that counts for nothing.
“It all starts afresh. We’re not looking back at our group game against India; we know we have to play some really good cricket. They’re a strong side, coming off a great win, so they’ll be high in confidence.
“We just have to stick to our basics and keep doing what’s worked for us throughout the tournament.”
The wickets in the World Cup have generally favoured the batters, which is good news for Wolvaardt the opener, but not such good news as a captain.
“I enjoy flat wickets as a batter, not so much as a captain,” she said. “It could be high-scoring, so staying calm will be really important. Even with all the boundaries, noise, and excitement, we just need to stay grounded and focused on what we need to do.”
Wolvaardt believes the fact that two teams who have yet to lift the trophy are in the final is good news for women’s cricket, which has been dominated by Australia and England in the last few decades.
“It’s great for the health of the sport to have a potential new world champion. It shows how much the women’s game is developing and how many countries are producing quality cricketers,” she said.
“You can see that with India and the impact of the WPL (Women’s Premier League), so many new players coming through and performing so well.
“I think we’ve also come a long way as a team, and I’m proud of how far we’ve come in the last few years. It’s very exciting to have this opportunity to play in a World Cup final.
“For us, it would mean so much for women’s cricket back home (to win). We’ve just introduced a domestic league, and I can only imagine what winning a World Cup would do, how many girls would see it on TV and be inspired. It would be really special.
“Either way, I’m really proud of this group. We’ve had a great tournament and created a lot of excitement back home. I’ve received so many messages from people who’ve started watching women’s cricket because of this team, and that’s really cool.”
Wolvaardt believes the team that remains the calmest in the pressure-cooker of a final will win.
“I think the key tomorrow will be staying as present as possible,” she said. “There’ll be a lot of noise and distractions, different routines from a normal game, but at the end of the day, it’s still just cricket.
“Whichever team does the basics better for longer and holds their nerve will come out on top. The game will have its ebbs and flows, moments when they score quickly, and moments when we fight back. Staying calm and composed throughout will be crucial.”