Sophie Devine has lead the New Zealand team to a dominant victory over India
New Zealand Women scored 160/4 in 20 overs, where as India Women scored 102 all out in 19 overs.
So, finally New Zealand Women won by 58 runs.
New Zealand women ended a streak of ten consecutive T20I losses with a resounding victory in their opening match against India at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024.
A powerful batting display saw them post 160 for 4 in their 20 overs.
Skipper Sophie Devine anchored the innings with an explosive 57* off 36 balls, following a solid foundation set by the openers.
After winning the toss and opting to bat on a used pitch, Suzie Bates and Georgia Plimmer gave New Zealand a strong start.
Bates capitalized on Pooja Vastrakar’s loose lengths, hitting two boundaries in the first over, while Plimmer attacked Deepti Sharma, smashing a four and a six in her first over.
New Zealand’s aggressive approach yielded steady runs, even in tight overs, with 55 runs coming inside the Power Play, putting India under immediate pressure.
Arundhati Reddy sparked a mini-comeback for India, first dismissing Bates and then tying down the New Zealand middle order alongside leg-spinner Asha Shobana.
Plimmer fell for 34, leaving Devine to rebuild.
The skipper responded by accelerating, hitting Shobana for consecutive boundaries to reignite the innings.
Amelia Kerr survived a controversial run-out decision but fell shortly after.
Devine, however, remained unfazed, punishing India’s bowlers, especially Deepti, who conceded 16 runs in her final over.
Devine’s late surge, in partnership with Brooke Halliday, propelled New Zealand to a commanding total.
India’s chase unraveled almost immediately.
Shafali Verma was dismissed on the first ball by off spinner Eden Carson, and a string of soft dismissals followed.
Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur briefly consolidated, but Mandhana holed out to long-off, and Kaur was trapped LBW by a big inswinger from Rosemary Mair.
The middle order collapsed under pressure, with Lea Tahuhu taking key wickets, including Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh, and Deepti Sharma.
Mair capped off New Zealand’s dominance with a career-best 4-19, as India collapsed to a 58-run defeat.
The loss not only dealt a blow to India’s net run rate but also gave New Zealand a significant boost in Group A standings.
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