New Zealand secured a 58-run victory over India in their opening match of the Women’s T20 World Cup at Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
New Zealand won the toss and chose to bat first. Sophie Devine knocked a brilliant 57 runs off 36 balls, and the Kiwi’s scoreboard was at a total of 160 for 4 in their allotted 20 over, and they bowled India out for 102 runs in 19 overs. Rosemary Mair claimed four wickets for 19 while Lea Tahuhu took three wickets.
Earlier, the partnership between Suzie Bates and Georgia Plimmer gave an impressive opening through a remarkable 67-run, and Sophie took control of the field and gave the Kiwis’ a strong finish as they hit seven boundaries at a strike rate of 158.33.
The Indian chase was crushed immediately when opener Shafali Verma was dismissed for a first-ball catch and bowled by off-spinner Eden Carson. The Indians performance in the field worsened as several batters fell short without any resistance. Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur struggled to stabilize the innings, but the former was dismissed by Carson’s bowling.
“The platform that Suzie Bates and Georgia Plimmer laid at the top set the foundation for us. We talked about putting on a competitive total and being there at the end and seeing the cameos; that’s what it’s all about being part of this team. It was tough work out there when the pace was off, so I was a little scratchy to start off with but then got going. This group has worked so hard over the last six months, and it’s incredible to see them get the reward today,” the Kiwi captain told the official ICC broadcast.
The India captain, Harmanpreet, also shared her thoughts at the post-match presentation.
“We didn’t play our best cricket today. Going forward, we have to think about what areas we have to improve in. Every game now is important, and we have to play our best cricket. We created chances, but they played better cricket than us. This is such a high stage where you can’t make these mistakes. We have chased 160-170 many times. But on that pitch, it was 10–15 runs too many. At one stage, the way they started, I was thinking it would be 190. This wasn’t the start we were expecting in this tournament.”
