NZ 114/5 after 19 overs: Four boundaries and in turn 18 runs come from the over. 16 runs required off the last over, just when you thought the game was done and dusted!
NZ 100/5 after 18 overs: Another wicke ... Oh No! How did Deepti let that go? She had three stumps to aim at, at the non-striker's end, from less than two yards away and she misses by a mile! Will India repent this missed opportunity?
NZ 94/5 after 17 overs: Martin, OUT! Radha Yadav takes her revenge with the wicket of Martin after being hit for a boundary. Martin tries to go big again, but Jemimah, one of the best fielders in the international circuit, at deep midwicket, definitely wasn't going to drop that.
NZ 86/4 after 16 overs: The 19-year-old Kerr pierces the offside area to manage a boundary. But will that be enough to ease the pressure on the side?
NZ 79/4 after 15 overs: Rajeshwari gets rid of Maddy, who walks having scored 24 off 23 balls. The NZ batswoman steps out and is deceived by the turn. The ball takes the outside edge and the keeper pouches it comfortably in the end.
Just the two runs from the over. NZ would need 55 runs from the last five overs.
NZ 77/3 after 14 overs: The required run rate has creeped up to almost 9.5 now, even as India continues to dominate. Six runs from the last over. The White Ferns have to resort to some big-hitting here on.
NZ 71/3 after 13 overs: Poonam Yadav has been brought back into the attack. Except two singles off the first and last ball, Martin has hit the spinner for a four, sweeping away to glory towards the deep square leg region.
NZ 65/3 after 12 overs: Up, up and away! Green hammers the first maximum of the New Zealand innings. The batter displays excellent footwork as the ball disappears towards the cow corner area.
NZ 55/3 after 11 overs: Martin responds with a boundary too in the first ball of the 11th over. Rajeshwari bowls this one short, outside off and the batswoman cuts it to the ropes, mercilessly. Green ends the over with a boundary towards fine-leg, as well.
NZ 46/3 after 10 overs: Green hits a much-needed first boundary since the fifth over, pulling behind square towards. the leg-side region. There are no fielders stationed at the fence there.
NZ 39/3 after 9 overs: And as I had mentioned in the last over, Devine was already running out of patience and thus, she decides to go big this over, off the very first ball. Poonam predicts the move and bowls a full toss wide outside the off stump area. Devine mishits and ends up slicing the ball to Radha at point. The batswomen, Martin and Green, take a run a ball, for the rest of the over.
NZ 34/2 after 8 overs: Radha forces five dot balls from Devine, who looks to be growing a bit impatient. The bowler sticks to a much straighter line, bowling a lot fuller and turning it into the right hander.
NZ 33/2 after 7 overs: Poonam Yadav has been brought in. Harmanpreet making her intentions clear. Wickets are what she wants... quick and easy!
The batsmen, however, just look to rotate the strike in this over, to keep the momentum going. No risks taken.
NZ 30/2 after 6 overs: End of powerplay. Suzie Bates gives away a freebie to India. She would be cursing herself. Tries to go across the wicket for an unorthodox shot towards fine leg, and ends up hitting the ball at the woodwork. Unnecessary!
NZ 28/1 after 5 overs: Devine dances down the pitch, in the second ball of the over, to lift it over the head of Rajeshwari for a boundary. A decent over, with six coming from it.
NZ 22/1 after 4 overs: Pandey is back into the attack. India loses its only review this over as it decides to resort to the DRS after the umpire shakes his head on an LBW appeal concerning Devine.
NZ 18/1 after 3 overs: Left-arm spinner Rajeshwari Gayakwad to replace Deepti at the other end. She does well, resorting to the flatter deliveries, to win four dots in a row. Devine, however, punishes her for the poor last delivery, glancing it for a boundary down leg.
NZ 13/1 after 2 overs: Priest's got to go as Shikha Pandey strikes early! She skies it really high and Radha, at the midwicket region, gets all the time in the world to get underneath the ball. Just the one run off the over.
NZ 12/0 after 1 over: Harmanpreet starts off with spin. Deepti Sharma to bowl to Rachel Priest... And there's a gift. A little width on offer and Priest won't miss out on opportunities like these. Four off the very second ball. And another boundary! Priest works it away to the leg side to perfection. Both Priest and Deepti feature for the Western Storm and both of them know each other, a bit too well.
IND 121/7 after 19 overs: Radha survives a missed stumping chance off the last ball. With only seven runs coming from the 19th over, India needs to fire in the last over, to at least get to 135.
IND 114/7 after 18 overs: Devine's back into the attack and it is a wicket for the White Ferns, straightaway. Deepti Sharma holes it out to Jensen at deep midwicket.
Three runs from the over.
IND 111/6 after 17 overs: A tight over from Anna Peterson. She keeps the runs conceded down to six, after going for 13 in her first.
IND 105/6 after 16 overs: Another wicket! Veda Krishnamurthy has been trapped in front by Kerr. The umpire, who initially, signalled 'Not Out' was made to overturn his decision after Devine resorted to the DRS. Five from that over.
IND 100/5 after 15 overs: Dropped and it is Maddy Green, once again! Deepti Sharma heaves a sigh of relief. The run-rate too has come down drastically. 150, which looked like an easy score, a while back, seems to be quite some distance away now.
IND 96/5 after 14 overs: Interesting how India, which seemed to be cruising through unblemished minutes earlier, finds itself in a spot of bother now. A couple of quick wickets have pegged it back and the last batter to go was the dangerous Shafali as she ballooned one to Jensen at deep extra cover. Kerr gets her first wicket of the day.
IND 93/4 after 13 overs: Harmanpreet's poor run continues as the batter chipped it straight back to the bowler. Kasperek makes no mistake. Three runs from the over.
IND 90/3 after 12 overs: Mair works her magic again! And the victim, this time, is Jemimah. Gets the leading edge and Kerr, stationed at point, didn't have to do much. Easy as it goes... Harmanpreet makes her way to the centre.
But Shafali is in no mood to back down. A four and a six; what a find this youngster has been for the Eves!
IND 80/2 after 11 overs: Off-spinner Leigh Kasperek has been given the responsibility this time. And she does well, conceding only five runs off the over.
IND 75/2 after 10 overs: WICKET! Bhatiya opens her arms to target the offside area but ends up offering a simple catch to the fielder at backward point.
Star cricketer Jemimah Rodrigues is the new batswoman. And straightaway, she goes for a boundary off the very second ball.
Meanwhile, another ball, another reprieve for Verma as Tahuhu drops a sitter. Devine doesn't believe her eyes. NZ, normally a good fielding side, has been miserable on the field tpday.
IND 68/1 after 9 overs: The 50-run stand comes up in this over with a boundary. Kerr sends in a googly. Verma places it excellently between short third man and backward point.
IND 60/1 after 8 overs: Jensen is back. Will this be the over the White Ferns were looking for? And woah, close! Verma skies it with Maddy Green running in from long-on to get underneath it. But it falls just short.
IND 54/1 after 7 overs: Finally, Bhatiya punishes leg-spinner Amelia Kerr. Four on the leg side. Leaving the boundary, just another run from that over.
IND 49/1 after 6 overs: New Zealand's go-to wicket-taker has been brought in to bring on some early damage. Yes, it is Hayley Jensen, ladies and gentlemen. Bhatia and Shafali take no risks in this over. Just three runs off it.
IND 46/1 after 5 overs: Spin has been introduced early. Anna Peterson to bowl this over. Hope Devine doesn't regret this move, given Shahfali's penchant to go big against spinners. Maybe she is looking for Verma to commit an error.
Well... Six balls later, Devine isn't a happy skipper. Peterson bears the brunt as Verma slams two back-to-back sixes off the last two balls.
IND 33/1 after 4 overs: The captain herself decides to bowl the fourth over. Otherwise a decent over, Devine gets hammered for a four off the last ball by the young Shafali. Nine off that over.
IND 24/1 after 3 overs: INSIDE EDGE AND GONE! Smriti Mandhana departs as Tahuhu's fuller delivery outside the off stump area forces the former to reach out for the ball. An inside edge makes a mess of the stumps.
Taniya Bhatia walks out, and off the very second ball she scores a boundary off a low full toss. Must say, that the outfield's pretty quick here at the Junction Oval.
IND 15/0 after 2 overs: Rosemary Mair comes into the attack. Mandhana goes onside this time off the very second ball. Shafali follows suit, slamming another towards the extra cover region.
IND 5/0 after 1 over: The explosive opening pair of Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana have made their way out to the middle. Pacer Lea Tahuhu will be starting things off with the new ball. It is sort of chilly and kind of overcast in Melbourne and we could be in for some early movement.
And yes, there is a hint of some swing as the ball takes the edge of Shafali's bat and she runs a quick single. Sophie Devine would be looking to have someone deputed at slip?
The first boundary comes off the fifth ball. There was some width on offer as Mandhana utilises the pace of Tahuhu to hit it over the heads of the fielders within the circle, towards extra cover.
The teams are lining up for the anthems.
PLAYING XI
New Zealand Women: Sophie Devine (c), Rachel Priest (w), Suzie Bates, Maddy Green, Katey Martin, Amelia Kerr, Hayley Jensen, Anna Peterson, Leigh Kasperek, Lea Tahuhu, Rosemary Mair
India Women: Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Taniya Bhatia (w), Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Deepti Sharma, Veda Krishnamurthy, Shikha Pandey, Radha Yadav, Poonam Yadav, Rajeshwari Gayakwad
WHAT THEY SAID
Harmanpreet Kaur :
We wanted to bat only. We have two changes today. Smriti and Radha come in for Arundhati and Richa.
Sophie Devine :
We are going to bowl first. It is a fresh wicket and we would like to make the most of the conditions.
- NEW ZEALAND WINS THE TOSS AND ELECTS TO BOWL -
MATCH PREVIEW
On a high after two easy victories on the trot, including one against defending champion Australia, the Indian women’s cricket will aim to inch closer to a semifinal berth when it takes on New Zealand in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in Melbourne on Thursday.
India has hardly broken a sweat in its 17-run and 18-run wins over host Australia and Bangladesh in its previous two matches, and it is perched at the top of the Group A standings with four points from two matches.
A win against New Zealand on Thursday will take the Harmanpreet Kaur-led side on the threshold of a knock-out stage spot, which will have the top two teams from Group A and B. In the two matches so far, the Indian team has been impressive both in batting and bowling.
The 16-year-old sensation Shafali Verma has been the standout batter with a whirlwind 17-ball 39 against Bangladesh, following her 29 against Australia. One-down Jemimah Rodrigues has also been among the runs with 26 and 34 so far. Only captain Harmanpreet, among the top-order batters, has not scored big and she is due one such knock.
India is also likely to be bolstered by the return of star opener Smriti Mandhana who missed the match against Bangladesh due to fever. The middle-order has also done its bit with Deepti Sharma playing a major role against Australia with an unbeaten 49 while Veda Krishnamurthy hit a match-defining 11-ball 20 not out against Bangladesh.
The bowling department has been led admirably by seasoned leg-spinner Poonam Yadav, who has seven wickets from two outings, with pacer Shikha Pandey ably supporting her with five scalps so far. New Zealand, though, has a better head-to-head record against India in recent years, having won the last three matches between the two sides.
Exactly a year back, it had beaten the Indian team 3-0 in a three-match T20I series at home. India will, however, remember its massive 34-run win against New Zealand in the 2018 edition of the T20 World Cup in West Indies. Harmanpreet had struck a memorable 103 to lead her side to victory back then.
New Zealand has some top-class players in its ranks in the form of captain and all-rounder Sophie Devine and batswoman Suzie Bates, while pacer Lea Tahuhu and leg-spinner Amelia Kerr will lead the bowling department. It will go into this match on a high after an easy seven-wicket win over Sri Lanka on Saturday. Devine had led her side from the front with an unbeaten 75 off 55 balls at the top of the order in that win.
LATEST RESULTS
England vs Thailand - England beat Thailand by 98 runs.
West Indies vs Pakistan - Pakistan beats West Indies by eight wickets.
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