New Zealand Women crush India Women to kick off their T20 World Cup campaign

Coming to the ICC Women's T20 World Cup with the weight of a 10-match losing streak on their shoulders, New Zealand women were not the favourites to win their opening clash. However, in a match that witnessed India women fumbling a bit too many of their chances, New Zealand put an end to their forgettable record. India Women, led by Harmanpreet Kaur, endured a defeat by a huge margin, casting a shadow on their future in the marquee event in their season opener itself. The match started with the White Ferns winning the toss and opting to bat first on the Dubai pitch.

Sloppy in the field, India Women let the momentum side with New Zealand Women

After winning the toss, Devine chose to bat first on a pitch that had already been used earlier in the day. Openers Suzie Bates and Georgia Plimmer appeared clear of their intent as they took on the Indian bowlers right from the word go. Bates went behind Pooja Vastrakar as the Kiwi batter hit two boundaries in the first over, setting an aggressive tone. Plimmer, meanwhile, continued the momentum, driving spinner Deepti Sharma for a four and a six in her first over.

Overcoming the ghost of their recent past where they faced a 3-0 whitewash against Australia women, New Zealand displayed a commendable performance with the bat. The team, with Sophie Devine leading from the front, notched a 160-run stand in the first innings against India. The skipper remained unbeated at the score of 57 off 36 balls, after the openers laid a solid foundation for the innings.

In an innings that saw no stopping of the Kiwi openers, Arundhati Reddy produced the first chance for the women in blue for a wicket. However, in a sloppy display of fielding, the first of many slip-ups noted in the match, wicket-keeper Richa Ghosh dropped Bates. Confident by the fact that luck too was playing in their favour, the white ferns smashed 55 runs in the powerplay itself, pushing India women out of the clash early on.

Reddy, eventually provided the breakthrough as she dismissed Suzie Bates at the score of 27 off 24. Subsequently, the other opener, Plimmer was also dismissed, caught at long-on off Asha Shobana for 34 from 23 balls. Reddy and Shobana tightened the bowling, conceding just 20 runs in the next five overs. Meanwhile, Devine took her time to settle before launching an assault on Shobana, hitting back-to-back boundaries to accelerate the innings again.

A controversial moment occurred when Amelia Kerr was run out while attempting a late second run. The on-field umpire, however, deemed the ball dead, as bowler Deepti had already received her cap, allowing Kerr to continue. A triggered Indian skipper Harmanpreet Kaur questioned the umpire but to no avail as Kerr continued to remain at the pitch. However, the all-rounder departed shortly after as she was caught at cover off Renuka Thakur's bowling. Despite the chaos, Devine remained unfazed, striking Renuka for more boundaries. Deepti's tough day with the ball ended with a costly over, conceding 16 runs. Brooke Halliday, who had added 46 with Devine, was eventually caught at extra cover, but Devine reached her fifty in 33 balls, leading New Zealand to a winning total.

58-run defeat for India women in the opening ICC Women's T20 World Cup fixture

It's no secret that India's chances for a win in any match are carried mostly by the opening pair of Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma. However, the hopes for a comeback in the match were quashed early in the chase when Shafali Verma was dismissed at a paltry score of 2 runs. The young batter fell to a soft caught-and-bowled at the first ball by Eden Carson. Next up, the India women batters emulated the domino effect as no one could find a footing against New Zealand at the Dubai International Stadium. Promoted up the order, skipper Harmanpreet Kaur tried to knit an impactful partnership with Smriti Mandhana before the opener was caught at long-off by Carson.

India's troubles deepened when captain Harmanpreet was trapped LBW by Rosemary Mair's inswinger during the powerplay. Lea Tahuhu then dismantled India's middle order, dismissing Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh, and Deepti Sharma, leaving India in a hopeless position. Mair wrapped up the innings with a career-best 4-19, sealing India's fate. New Zealand's victory by 58 runs not only ended their losing streak but also gave them a strong start in Group A.

India next faces Pakistan on Sunday, who will come to the clash after a win against Sri Lanka in their opening fixture. India women have took a significant hit on their net run rate with the loss against New Zealand Women. In order to vouch for a berth in the playoffs, India now needs to claim bigger wins in their upcoming fixtures. However, the 58-run defeat in the first match has already placed India at the back of race.