India women’s cricket team beat New Zealand by 59 runs in the first of three ODIs at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Thursday.
Set 228 runs to win, New Zealand folded for 168 while fighting against the current with Radha Yadav and Saima Thakor making key contributions with the ball.
Left-arm spinner Yadav delivered a standout performance, claiming 3 wickets for 35 runs.
Debutant pacer Saima Thakor made an immediate impact, striking with just her third delivery by dismissing Suzie Bates for only 1 run as the White Ferns opener edged an away-swinger to wicketkeeper Yastika Bhatia.
That opening success was just the start, as New Zealand lost three more wickets, leaving them at 79 runs, including a particularly unusual dismissal for skipper Sophie Devine. Devine neglected to bring her feet back behind the crease, allowing stumper Yastika to remove the bails after Deepti Sharma returned the ball.
New Zealand briefly threatened a comeback through a 49-run fifth-wicket partnership between Brooke Halliday (39) and Maddy Green (31), which turned out to be the highest stand of their innings.
However, Thakor broke this partnership by dismissing Halliday, and from that point on, New Zealand struggled to recover.
Before that, India had their own challenges with the bat, managing to score a modest 227 after opting to bat first against the crafty bowling of the Kerr sisters — Amelia and Jess.
Amelia led the charge with 4 wickets for 42 runs, while Jess contributed with 3 for 49, supported ably by Eden Carson, who took 2 wickets for 42 runs.
India’s innings suffered from their inability to convert promising starts into substantial scores. Deepti Sharma (41), debutant Tejal Hasabnis (42), Shafali Verma (33), Yastika (37), and Jemimah Rodrigues (35) all got off to solid starts but failed to build on them.
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Hasabnis, in particular, will be disappointed, having been in good form before being dismissed by Amelia. She attempted to dance down the track to the leg-spinner but mistimed her ambitious shot, resulting in a stumping by Isabella Gaze.
India did achieve one significant partnership, with Rodrigues and Hasabnis combining for 61 runs for the fifth wicket.
Meanwhile, skipper Smriti Mandhana, who took charge with Harmanpreet Kaur resting due to a minor injury, was dismissed early in the third over, caught by Georgia Plimmer off Jess. This dismissal set the tone for a challenging innings, and despite their struggles, India’s bowlers rose to the occasion.