Women's T20 World Cup: India suffers crushing defeat against New Zealand

New Zealand captain Sophie Devine's innings (57) took them to a 160/4. In reply, India were all out for 102 in 19 overs. Rosemary Mair was the pick of the bowlers with four wickets to her name.

Sreejith CR

First Published Oct 5, 2024, 9:46 AM IST | Last Updated Oct 5, 2024, 9:46 AM IST

India suffered a crushing defeat against New Zealand in their opening match of the 2024 ICC Women's T20 World Cup. India lost by 58 runs at Dubai International Stadium. New Zealand, who won the toss and elected to bat first, scored 160 runs for the loss of four wickets. Captain Sophie Devine's innings (57) took them to a commendable total. In reply, India were all out for 102 in 19 overs. Rosemary Mair was the pick of the bowlers with four wickets to her name. Lea Tahuhu took three wickets. Captain Harmanpreet Kaur, who scored 15 runs, was India's top scorer.

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As the scoreboard suggests, India got off to a poor start. Top-order stars Shefali Verma (2), Smriti Mandhana (12) and Harmanpreet Kaur (15) were back in the pavilion with 42 runs on the board. Jemimah Rodriguez (13) Richa Ghosh (12) and Deepti Sharma (13) also failed to get going. Later, Arundhati Reddy (1), Pooja Vastrakar (8), Sreyanka Patil (7) and Renuka Singh (0) could not even reach double figures. Asha Shobhana (6) remained unbeaten. Earlier, apart from Devine, Suzie Bates (27) and Georgia Plimmer (34) performed well for New Zealand.

New Zealand got off to a good start. Bates and Plimmer stitched together a partnership of 67 runs for the first wicket. Arundhati Reddy gave India a breakthrough by dismissing Bates, while Plimmer also returned at the same score. With this, the Kiwis were at 67 for two. Amelia Kerr (13 off 22 balls) and Brooke Halliday (16) could not do much.

However, with Devine holding on at one end, New Zealand managed to put up a decent score. Devine, who faced 36 balls, hit 7 fours. Maddy Green (3) remained unbeaten along with Devine. Renuka Singh took two wickets. Malayalee star Asha Shobhana chipped in with one wicket for 22 runs in four overs. Another Malayalee player Sajana Sajeev could not make it to the playing eleven.

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