Watch: Deepti Sharma becomes 1st Indian bowler to bowl 3 maidens in T20I match

Off-spinner Deepti Sharma had an extraordinary outing in India's first T20I against South Africa in this Gujarat city. She ended with figures of 4/8 with three of the four overs she bowled being maidens. This is the first time that an Indian has bowled as many maidens in a T20I match.

Deepti gave away runs only off the 19th ball that she bowled in the match. Two of these overs were wicket maidens with Deepti taking two on the trot in the 9th over and a wicket in the 14th. Apart from Deepti's three-wicket haul, Shikha Pandey, Poonam Yadav and Radha Yadav got two wickets each while Harmanpreet got one.

Earlier Chasing a modest 131 for victory, South Africa were buoyed by Mignon du Preez's gritty 43-ball 59 which kept them in the hunt. But Deepti's three maidens strangled the visitors as they were bowled out for 119 in 19.5 overs to hand India 1-0 lead in the series. Player of the match Deepti ended with career-best figures of 3/8 from 4 overs.

du Preez hit four fours and three sixes in her knock before being dismissed by medium-pacer Shikha Pandey in the fourth delivery of the final over with the Proteas still 11 runs short of India's total. In the next delivery, Shikha got rid of N. Mlaba (0) to seal India victory.

The day though belonged to Deepti, who first castled opener Tazmin Brits (3) and then had Nadine de Klerk caught behind by Taniya Bhatia in the same over. Shabnim Ismail, also caught behind, was Deepti's third victim. Besides Deepti, Shikha (2/18), Poonam Yadav (2/25) and Radha Yadav (2/29) helped sink the Proteas ship.

WATCH: @Deepti_Sharma06 ’s match-winning spell of 3/8

Three straight maiden overs and three wickets from the all-rounder as she spun a web around the SA batters. @Paytm #INDWvsSAW

Put into bat by South Africa skipper Sune Luus, India could only manage 130/8, riding captain Harmanpreet Kaur's 34-ball 43, which was laced with three fours and two sixes.

Opener Smriti Mandhana scored 21, but the other batters did not have much joy as pacer Shabnim Ismail returned best figures of 3/26, supported by 19-year-old part-time medium pacer de Klerk, who took two wickets and gave away just 10 runs in two overs.

Shafali Verma, the 15-year-old attacking batswoman from Haryana, was handed a debut as she became the second-youngest player to represent India after Gargi Banerjee, and the youngest to play a T20I for the country.

But Ismail cut short her stay in the middle, as Shafali was dismissed for a fourth ball duck, caught by Tumi Sekhukhune at mid-on.

Captain Harmanpreet Kaur scored 43 for the hosts as they batted first. Fellow opener Mandhana looked good for her 16-ball 21 before Nondumiso Shangase had her caught by du Preez at point. Jemimah Rodrigues (19) and Deepti (16) chipped in with a few runs, but it was Harmanpreet who took the hosts to a fighting total as wickets kept tumbling at the other end.