Mumbai: Three losses in a row can break a team’s spirit. But Thursday night in Navi Mumbai proved that champions know exactly when to rise. India didn’t just beat New Zealand they demolished them by 53 runs, booking their place in the World Cup semi-finals with a performance that erased all memories of recent struggles.
The scoreboard tells quite a story: India 340 for 3 in 49 overs, New Zealand 271 for 8 in 44 overs. But numbers alone can’t capture what unfolded at the DY Patil Stadium.
Harmanpreet Kaur walked out for the toss knowing her team desperately needed a win. She lost the toss, but that hardly mattered. What followed was a batting exhibition that New Zealand had no answers for.
Smriti Mandhana and Pratika Rawal started cautiously perhaps too cautiously. Just 18 runs came in the first six overs. You could almost feel the anxiety in the stadium. These two had been in excellent form, but three consecutive defeats tend to mess with your head.
Then came the seventh over. Eden Carson tossed one up, and Mandhana’s eyes lit up. Out came the sweep shot, and suddenly the shackles were off. Carson tried again next over, and this time Mandhana skipped down the track and launched her over long-off. That was the signal game on.
Rawal, meanwhile, was finding her groove on the leg side. When Lea Tahuhu came on to bowl after the 10th over, she probably expected better. Instead, Rawal greeted her with a pull shot that sailed over midwicket. Next ball, she lofted her straight down the ground and held the pose. The cameras loved it. The crowd loved it. Tahuhu? Not so much.
The partnership kept building. Fifty for Mandhana came off 49 balls. Rawal took 75, playing the perfect foil initially before cutting loose herself. Together, they brought up their seventh century partnership in ODIs matching the record for the most by any Indian opening pair in women’s cricket.
At 77, Mandhana had a moment. Given out lbw, she started walking back without bothering to review. Rawal rushed down, practically begging her to take the DRS. Reluctantly, Mandhana signaled for the review. The replay showed what looked like a clean miss. Even Mandhana started walking again. Then UltraEdge picked up something the faintest spike you’d ever see as the ball passed the bat. Reprieved.
She made it count. Twenty-one balls later, she raised her bat for her 14th ODI century. That puts her just one behind Meg Lanning’s all-time record of 15. At 88 balls, it was also one of her quicker hundreds.
By now, Mandhana was running on fumes. Cramps were setting in, energy levels dropping. But there was still time for one glorious moment massive six off Amelia Kerr that had the crowd roaring. Trying to replicate it off Suzie Bates, she holed out to Hannah Rowe at long-on. The opening stand ended at 212.
Rawal wasn’t done yet. She reached three figures off 122 deliveries, her second ODI century. Maddy Green dropped her on 108 at long-off a costly error. Rawal added 14 more before finally mistiming Bates to the same fielder, same position where Mandhana had departed.
Enter Jemimah Rodrigues at number three, replacing Amanjot Kaur in the XI. Talk about making a statement. Rodrigues played like someone with a point to prove. Sweeps, reverse-sweeps, inside-out drives she had every shot in the book. Eleven boundaries in 55 balls, finishing unbeaten on 76. She and Harmanpreet were going strong when rain arrived at the 48-over mark.
India’s final total: 340 for 3. Their previous World Cup best was 330 against Australia earlier in the tournament. This was better in every way.
Then came the wait. Two hours of rain meant the game had to be shortened. Initially reduced to 49 overs, another interruption after India’s innings cut it further. New Zealand’s revised target: 325 in 44 overs. Still mammoth. Still the highest-ever chase required in women’s ODI history.
Renuka Singh had other ideas about that chase. Her second ball to Georgia Plimmer jagged back viciously. Bowled. Sophie Devine, one of the most destructive batters in world cricket, walked in. Fourth ball she faced from Renuka did the same thing. Bowled.
New Zealand were reeling at 15 for 2, and it got worse. Renuka and Kranti Gaud bowled the first powerplay so tight that not a single boundary came in those six overs. Think about that six overs without a four while chasing 325. The pressure was suffocating.
Brooke Halliday tried to rebuild. She battled her way to 81 off 84 balls, but wickets kept tumbling at the other end. Isabella Gaze, playing a career-best knock of 65 not out, partnered with Halliday for 72 runs. It was spirited, but ultimately futile.
With 15 overs left, New Zealand still needed 168 runs. Against India’s spinners, who’d bowled brilliantly all evening, that was asking too much. The innings fizzled out at 271 for 8.
Here’s a fun detail: Rawal even bowled a few overs and picked up her first World Cup wicket when Maddy Green miscued one. Talk about an all-round day at the office.
The win means India are through to the semis. Who they face depends on Saturday’s match between South Africa and Australia. But right now, that doesn’t matter. What matters is that India have rediscovered their mojo exactly when they needed it most.
Three losses? Ancient history. This team just reminded everyone why they’re genuine contenders for the trophy.
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