India lost to New Zealand in the opening match of the Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 in Dubai on Friday. India lost by 58 runs. Chasing a target of 161 runs, India were bowled out for 102 runs in 19 overs. India had a poor batting performance with captain Harmanpreet Kaur ending up as their team’s highest scorer.
New Zealand had lost 10 matches in a row in this World Cup. But today they defeated one of the top teams India by a huge margin. This is a huge blow to India’s chances in an already tough group. Captain Harmanpreet called it the best Indian team in the T20 World Cup, but they just couldn’t do enough from start to finish today.
Chasing 161 runs, India got off to a bad start as they lost their wicket in the second over. Smriti Mandana and Harmanpreet, India’s best and most consistent batsmen in the last few years, were all out before turning 20.
Captain Harmanpreet Kaur (15), Jemima Rodriguez (13), Deepti Sharma (13), Wicketkeeper Richa Ghosh (12), Opener Smriti Manthana (12), Shafali Verma (2), Pooja Vastrakar (8), Shreyanka Patil (7) ), Asha Shobhana (6*) are the Indian women’s contributions. Rosemary Mair took four wickets for New Zealand. Lee Tahuhu took three wickets and Eden Carson took two wickets. A wicket for Amelia Kerr.
Devin led from the front
Sophie Devine led New Zealand to 160/4 against India in their first match of the Women’s T20 World Cup. Devine became the star with a brilliant half-century. Devine anchored the innings with an unbeaten 57 off 36 balls including seven boundaries. A 46-run partnership with Brook Halliday (16 off 12 balls) in just 4.2 overs lifted New Zealand to a strong score considering the conditions.
Deepti Sharma conceded 45 runs in her four overs, despite good bowling by most of the Indian bowlers, especially Asha Shobhana (1/22) and Arundhati Reddy (1/28).
Controversial run out decision
The controversial decision during the match against New Zealand surprised the Indian camp. Because Amelia Kerr remained unbeaten despite being short at the crease. The incident happened when Kerr pushed the ball towards long off for a single in the 14th over. After a delay call, Sophie Devine forced Kerr to run a second. Kerr was run out by Harmanpreet Kaur’s sharp throw which led to celebrations from the Indian side.
However, after completing the first run, the umpires declared the ball dead and allowed Kerr to return to the crease. The verdict, which shocked India, led to animated discussions between the Indian players and umpires, with head coach Amol Majumdar seen talking to the fourth umpire. Despite captain Harmanpreet Kaur’s obvious frustration, the umpires’ decision stood and Kerr resumed his innings. They were dismissed in the next over for 13 off 22 balls, but the controversial moment remained the talk of the match.
Desperate ground fielding
India’s ground fielding was disappointing, with Jemima Rodrigues being the lone exception. Costly mistakes, including Richa Ghosh’s dropped catch and Renuka Singh’s misfield, allowed New Zealand openers Suzy Bates (27) and Georgia Plimmer (34) to capitalize.
However, when Shobhana and Reddy started bowling after the powerplay, India regained control, dismissing both openers within three balls, slowing down New Zealand’s scoring rate. Despite the setback, Devine’s late surge ensured that the White Ferns achieved a challenging total for India to chase down.
