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New Zealand Beat Indian Women Again, Take Unassailable Series Lead

The Indian women’s cricket team lost by four wickets to New Zealand in the second T20 International.

Updated
Cricket
3 min read
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Snapshot
  • New Zealand defeated the Indian women’s cricket team by 4 wickets at Aukland on 8 February.
  • The White Ferns reached their 136-run target in exactly 20 overs.
  • Having won the first T20I by 23 runs, the hosts have taken an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.

A shoddy batting performance by the middle-order saw Indian women lose a nail-biting second T20 International against New Zealand by four wickets and concede the three-match series in Aukland on Friday, 8 February. The Indian women had earlier lost the first Twenty20 International by 23 runs in Wellington.

Needing a win to keep the series alive, Indian women posted a modest 135 for 6 despite being 72 for 2 after the first 10 overs.

Chasing a modest target, New Zealand made heavy weather of the chase before scampering home off the last ball of the match losing only six wickets.

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“I think we should give credit to our bowlers, it wasn’t a good total but still they fought for us. We were 20 runs short, They played better cricket than us. We just need to learn from our mistakes and play better.”
Harmanpreet Kaur, Indian Captain
The Indian women’s cricket team lost by four wickets to New Zealand in the second T20 International.
Chasing a modest target, New Zealand made a heavy weather of the chase before scampering home off the last ball of the match losing six wickets.
(Photo Courtesy: Twitter/White Ferns)

Jemimah Rodrigues slammed a 53-ball 72 that included six boundaries and one six but India scored only 63 runs in the back 10 to end up 20 runs short, which became their undoing.

The White Ferns lost two quick wickets – opener Sophie Devine (19) and Caitlin Gurrey (4) by the seventh over with the scoreboard reading 40.

But then Suzie Bates (62) and Amy Satterthwaite (23) joined hands and the duo stitched 61 runs for the third wicket to get New Zealand women back into the track.

Left-arm orthodox bowler Radha Yadav (2/23) and medium pacer Arundhati Reddy (2/22) bowled well in the middle overs to take the match down to the wire.

Reddy, in fact, brought India women back into the match with twin blows in the 18th over – first dismissing a set Bates and then accounting for Anna Peterson for a first ball duck to bring India back into the contest.

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New Zealand needed nine runs off the last over and Katey Martin smacked Mansi Joshi for a boundary off the first ball to bring down the equation to five off five balls.

Joshi, however, got her revenge by getting through the defence of Martin in the next ball.

But it was not to be India's day as some sloppy fielding and sensible batting by Hannah Rowe and Leigh Kasperek took New Zealand home.

"We probably should have done that lot easier than what we did. But I am happy. Feels like it's been a while since we won a series," New Zealand captain Amy Satherwaite said.

The Indian women’s cricket team lost by four wickets to New Zealand in the second T20 International.
Jemimah Rodrigues slammed a 53-ball 72 that included six boundaries and one six.
(Photo Courtesy: Twitter/White Ferns)

Earlier, Jemimah, with in-form opener Smriti Mandhana (36 off 27), Rodrigues added 63 runs for the second-wicket to lay the base for the total after the visitors lost opener Priya Punia (4) early.

Invited to bat, India women struggled to put up partnerships and the one between Mandhana and Rodrigues saved the visitors' from humilation.

When Mandhana and Rodrigues were at the crease, India women were going great guns as the duo played fearlessly to put together 71 runs in 9.1 overs before the visitors lost Mandhana.

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Mandhana's dismissal brought in Harmanpreet but the skipper didn't last long and perished after scoring only five runs.

Rodrigues, though, carried on and registered fifth T20 fifty of her career but didn't get enough support from the other end to take India past 150-run mark.

Rodrigues got out in the penultimate over while trying to go for big shots, stumped by Katey Martin off leg-spinner Amelia Kerr.

Besides Rodrigues and Mandhana, it was a struggle throughout for others as no batswomen could even manage double digit scores.

(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)

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