India were caught on the wrong foot right at the start of their ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 campaign as they were on the receiving end of a crushing 58-run defeat at the hands of New Zealand on Friday at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. After a disappointing loss, India’s batter Jemimah Rodrigues addressed the post-match press conference.
New Zealand got off to a flyer in the powerplay as they scored 55 runs without losing a single wicket. “We knew that any team would come hard at us. They (New Zealand) came out with a lot of intent. We did create opportunities but unfortunately, we didn’t make the most of them,” said Rodrigues.
Emphasising on the fact that the tournament is not yet over, she added, “Not many positives in this game but still going forward I think we need to have the right approach because the tournament is not over. We need to take some positives and a lot of learnings from this game.”
India have another three matches to go in this league stage and they will want all their batters to put their hands up and rise to the occasion. Rodrigues, who has been promoted to number four, having batted at number five regularly in the recent past, said, “Playing at no. 4 is not much change for me in my mindset because I know with my game, I am ready to bat anywhere the team wants me to bat and I am ready to do the job. Today because I was batting well and had some form going on even in the warm-up games, it was my responsibility that I should have made sure that we build a partnership after losing (early) wickets.”
The conditions have been hot in Dubai and could pose a challenge for the teams to adjust. Rodrigues confirmed, “Not the easiest of conditions. It is really hot here in Dubai, but I think we did get enough time to get used to the conditions. So, we don’t want to give any excuses. I think we need to do our job and win the match for the team.”
All is not lost for team India yet and Rodrigues believes that they can make a comeback. “I think today would be the game we would like to forget. We can’t stay stuck at this game. This is a World Cup, and we need to keep moving on and keep picking ourselves up and that will show the character of this team. Every game from here becomes crucial for us. We are going to take one game at a time and make sure we stick to our process. I think if we play our best cricket we can win matches,” stressed the Indian batter.
Match Summary: India vs New Zealand, Match 4, ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024
Winning the toss and electing to bat first, New Zealand posted an above par score of 160 against India on Friday at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium and successfully defended the total, as they registered a comprehensive 58-run win to put an end to their horrid 10-match losing streak in the T20Is.
The White Ferns fired on all cylinders in the powerplay as they breached the 50-run mark at a canter without losing a single wicket. The opening pair of Suzie Bates and Georgia Plimmer stitched a crucial 67-run opening stand to lay a solid foundation for the batters to follow. Later, skipper Sophie Devine muscled a power-packed 57 not out to steer her side past the 150-run mark. Though the New Zealanders offered a few opportunities to the Indians at the start, the Women in Blue failed to grab them. Adding to the woes of ordinary fielding effort, was the listless Indian bowling. Some of the bowling choices and field placements raised many eyebrows, which eventually proved to be the difference between two sides.
After a disappointing performance with the ball in the first innings, Harmanpreet Kaur and co. were expected to turn it around with the bat in the run chase. However, the Indian batting, quite like the bowling, looked out of sorts as there was a regular loss of wickets. New Zealand bowlers made good use of the conditions and adjusted their lines and lengths to yield rich dividends. India lost three wickets inside the powerplay in a run chase of 161, which put the team on the back foot. India’s top three, Shafali Verma, Smriti Mandhana, and Harmanpreet Kaur bit the dust with just 42 runs on the scoreboard. Coming to bat under pressure, Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh, and Deepti Sharma tried to consolidate but they too perished against the run of play.
With the first of the four league matches done and dusted, India and New Zealand have another three to go in the league stage. While New Zealand will look to carry forward the winning momentum, India will need to go back to the drawing board to sort things out.