ICC World Cup: Harmanpreet Kaur's 71 in Vain as NZ beat India by 62 Runs
ICC World Cup: Harmanpreet Kaur's 71 in Vain as NZ beat India by 62 Runs
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India have been defeated by 62 runs by New Zealand in their second match of the 2022 Women's ODI World Cup
New Zealand: 260/9 (Amy Satterthwaite 75, Amelia Kerr 50; Pooja Vastrakar 4/34, Rajeshwari Gayakwad 2/46)
India: 198 all out in 46.4 overs (Harmanpreet Kaur 71, Mithali Raj 31; Lea Tahuhu 3/17, Amelia Kerr 3/56)
Harmanpreet Kaur scored a fighting half century and Pooja Vastrakar put in a brilliant bowling performance (4/34) but hosts New Zealand were just a cut above as they bowled India out for 198 to win the eighth match of the 2022 ICC Women's ODI World Cup by 62 runs, on Thursday.
Indian skipper Mithali Raj had opted to bat bowl first in the hope of dew aiding them but New Zealand managed to post 260/9 in their 50 overs but the chase never really picked any serious momentum with only Harmanpreet crossing the half-century mark.
This is India's first defeat of the tournament, in two outings, and they have five more matches left in the round-robin group stage that sees all eight teams face each-other.
Earlier this morning, pace all-rounder Pooja Vastrakar led a late fightback with the ball as India managed to restrict New Zealand to 260/9, after. they were sailing at 222/4 in 42 overs.
Pooja, who took 4/34 in her ten overs, helped pull back things for India with her pin-point yorkers as they conceded just 38 runs in the last eight overs for five wickets. Left-arm spinner Rajeshwari Gayakwad bowled well for fetching 2/46 in her ten overs. For New Zealand, vice-captain Amy Satterthwaite top-scored with 75 while Amelia Kerr made exactly a half-century.
India had an early breakthrough as Suzie Bates was run-out via a direct hit from Pooja. Skipper Sophie Devine brought out her counter-attacking game by smashing three boundaries each off Jhulan Goswami and Meghna Singh. Just after powerplay ended, Pooja took out Sophie with a short ball which bounced a bit and was snapped by keeper Richa Ghosh as the right-hander cut it too hard.
Amelia Kerr took her time and then got going as Yastika Bhatia dropped a tough chance of her ay deep square leg off Rajeshwari. Amelia was adept at facing spin of Rajeshwari, Sneh Rana and Deepti Sharma while Amy got into her groove with boundaries off the spinners. Amelia reached her fifty with a single through long-on.
But three balls later, Rajeshwari got her wicket as Amelia missed the sweep completely, bringing the 67-run partnership to a close. Amy continued to come down the pitch and find gaps consistently through the arc between long-off and cover. Amy then stitched a 54-run stand with Maddy Green, who was assertive with her sweep, pull and dabs through the third man.
Amy then reached her fifty with a brace through extra cover. But in the next over, Deepti broke the partnership as Maddy, in a bid to break a boundary-less run of last six overs, holed out to long-on. Amy then got fine support from Katey Martin, who got a reprieve when Pooja dropped a sitter at short third man.
India's fightback in death overs began when Pooja forced Amy to flick in the air and found mid-wicket fielder. Rajeshwari then beat Hayley Jansen on the sweep and hit the stumps. Pooja delivered back-to-back yorkers to take out Lea Tahuhu and Jess Kerr. In the final over of the innings, Jhulan got a scalp against her name as her yorker ended Katey's stay at 41.
Chasing 261, Frankie Mackay's off-spin and pace from Jess Kerr kept India on a tight leash from the word go. The duo were bang-on with their line and length and didn't offer Smriti Mandhana and Yastika Bhatia any width. Smriti, whose shots were mostly going to the fielders, tried to break the shackles off Jess in the sixth over.
But Jess, who came in from round the wicket, got Smriti to mistime a loft to cover. New Zealand's relentless pursuit of building the dot-ball pressure as Deepti Sharma was trapped lbw on last ball of power-play off Lea Tahuhu. The on-field umpire gave it lbw but New Zealand took the review and got to reverse the decision in their favour.
India's too slow a start and New Zealand's disciplined bowling meant they never got the chance to break free and rotate the strike. Post-power-play, Yastika went for the push early, giving mid-off a catch off the leading edge.
Mithali Raj, dropped by cover off Lea early in the knock, stitched a laborious 47-run stand off 63 balls with Harmanpreet Kaur. But Amelia Kerr, the leg-spinner introduced from 25th over, made double strikes in the 30th over to dent India's chances of making an improbable comeback in the match.
Mithali, expecting a googly from Amelia, was stumped off a leg-break outside off-stump which she attempted to sweep. On the very next ball, Amelia bowled Richa Ghosh for a golden duck with a googly that turned in and hit top of off-stump.
Sneh Rana negated Amelia's hat-trick ball with a cut through point but didn't look comfortable at the crease. Lea, coming in her final over, bounced her out with a well-directed short ball which took the glove edge to Katey. Amidst all the ruins, Harmanpreet was waging a lone battle, pulling and sweeping hard even as Pooja Vastrakar holed out to mid-off off Hannah Rowe.
After Harmanpreet got her fifty in 54 balls, she slog-swept Hannah for two sixes over deep mid-wicket and two fours swept through square leg and fine leg to take 20 runs off the 43rd over. Harmanpreet's late surge came to an end at 71 when she miscued a slog to long-off off Amelia. Hayley Jensen then yorked Jhulan Goswami and got Rajeshwari Gayakwad to nick behind on successive deliveries to seal a comprehensive win for New Zealand.