Chasing a stiff target of 266, New Zealand couldn’t stand against a ruthless Indian bowling line up and was eventually bowled out for a paltry 79 runs inside 25.3 overs at the County Cricket Ground on Saturday.
Rajeshwari Gayakwad, playing her first match in the tournament, picked up five wickets giving away just 15 runs in her 7.3-over spell.
Earlier, brilliant knocks from skipper Mithali Raj and Veda Krishnamurthy helped India set a formidable 266-run target for New Zealand in the virtual quarter—final of the ongoing ICC Women’s World Cup at the County Cricket Ground on Saturday. After being asked to bat, India did not have a great start , losing both its openers with just 21 runs on the board.
However, Mithali and Harmanpreet Kaur (60) took the game from thereafter and shared a 132-run stand to set the platform for a big total. India did have some hiccups in the middle as it lost Harmanpreet and Deepti Sharma in quick succession.
However, the Indian skipper continued to bat brilliantly and was joined by Veda (70 off just 45 balls), who came out all guns blazing to smash a fifty off just 34 balls.
Meanwhile, Mithali notched up the century landmark in the 48th over when she flicked Leigh Kasperek to deep mid wicket for a couple. She got out in the final over though after playing a well constructed knock of 109 runs from 123 balls. This was her sixth century overall and her first in this edition of the Women’s World Cup.
Leigh Kasperek was the pick of the bowlers for New Zealand. She finished with figures of 3 for 45 in her 10 overs.
Indian skipper Mithali Raj was declared as the woman of the match. India will lock horns with Australia in the semi-final on Thursday.
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