The openers Pratika Rawal and Smriti Mandhana put on a show as they put on 212 for the first wicket and both scored hundred. The duo batted with steely determination and through unbeaten fifty from Jemimah Rodrigues, India got the score to 329/2 in 48 overs when rain interrupted proceedings for the time being. Play resumed and India added 11 more runs and lost a wicket to finish with 340/3 in 49 overs. Rain came again and went to reduced the game further to 44 overs and the revised target for New Zealand was 325 runs.
Smriti Mandhana & Pratika Rawal gives India a steady start in the powerplay
Put into bat first, Pratika Rawal and Smriti Mandhana came out to bat for India while Rosemary Mair had ball in hand for New Zealand. Mair bowled a quiet first over. Jess Kerr had ball in hand from the other end. Kerr bowled a maiden over. Mair bowled a quiet over. Kerr kept things tight as well. Mair continued as Rawal broke the shackles by using her wrists to flick it along the carpet to deep backward square leg for a boundary. Rawal did not stop there as she opened the bat face and square drove it over the point fielder for a boundary.
Captain Sophie Devine came into the attack next. She bowled a miserly over. Spinner Eden Carson came into the attack next and was welcomed with a boundary by Mandhana who swept it to deep fine leg fence. Devine continued as Mandhana stayed leg side and flashed at it and got the outside edge as the ball trickled through the gap for a boundary. Carson continued as Mandhana charged down the track and smashed it over wide long-off for the maximum.
Devine continued as Rawal broke the shackles by sitting back and pulled it powerfully over midwicket for a boundary as she completed 1000 ODI runs. Devine kept it tight as India reached 40/0 in 10 overs at the end of the first powerplay.
Smriti Mandhana & Pratika Rawal drove home the advantage and put India in a strong position
Lea Tahuhu came into the attack post the powerplay. Rawal got on top of the bounce and waited on the back foot to cut it hard in the gap between backward point and point for a boundary. The 50 came up and of the partnership between Smriti Mandhana and Pratika Rawal. Amelia Kerr came into the attack next. She bowled a decent start.
Tahuhu continued and gave away 4 leg byes to the batting side. Rawal then hit Tahuhu by lofting it over mid-on for a boundary. Rawal then hit Tahuhu straight down the ground back past the bowler for a boundary. Amelia Kerr continued and bowled a decent over.
Jess Kerr continued and bowled a quiet over. Smriti Mandhana took on Amelia Kerr next and smashed her over midwicket for the maximum. Rawal then joined in the fun as she square drove it past backward point for a boundary.
Drinks was taken with the score at 86/0 in 16 overs. Jess Kerr continued after the break as Smriti Mandhana guided her by opening the bat face and steered it in the gap between backward point and short third man for a boundary. Carson continued as Mandhana slogged it over wide mid-on for a boundary as the 100 came up in 17.4 overs and of the partnership. Smriti Mandhana got to her fifty in 49 balls it was her third consecutive fifty.
Kerr bowled a no ball as she overstepped but the free hit yielded no run as Rawal hit it straight to Amelia at covers. Carson continued as Smriti Mandhana took her front leg out of the way and got under it and heaved it over wide mid-on for a boundary. India went to 115/0 in 20 overs.
Rosemary Mair came back into the attack and bowled a tight over. Devine came back to the attack and bowled a quiet over. Mair continued as Smriti Mandhana smashed her by shimmying down the wicket and pulled it in front of square in the leg side to beate deep midwicket to fine the fence. Rawal reached her fifty in 75 balls and reached her 8th ODI fifty. Mandhana then hit Mair for a boundary by staying back and helped it on its way past diving keeper for a boundary to fine leg region.
Devine continued as Smriti Mandhana used the deft touch and cut it past right of third man for a boundary. Amelia Kerr returned to the attack as Rawal used her feet and lofted it straight back over the bowler’s head for a boundary beating long-off. At the halfway stage of the innings, India raced away to a dominant 147/0 in 25 overs.
Smriti Mandhana falls after getting to a hundred; but India surge ahead and drive home the advantage.
Lea Tahuhu returned to the bowling attack. Rawal took the attack to Tahuhu as Rawal got underneath it and lofted it over midwicket for a boundary. The 150 of the partnership came up between Mandhana and Rawal. Amelia Kerr continued and thought she had gotten rid of Smriti Mandhana, but the southpaw reviewed as she got an inside edge and got the decision in their favour. Tahuhu continued as Rawal leaned into the square drive and played with an open bat face to beat the fielder for a boundary. Rawal then hit Tahuhu for a boundary by pulling it hard in front of square for a boundary.
Smriti Mandhana took the attack to Amelia as she got down on one knee and swept it right off the middle of the bat to launch it over cow corner for the maximum. She followed that up with a slog sweep to backward square leg for a boundary. Suzie Bates was introduced into the attack. SmiritMandhana got it away as she guided it onto the gap between backward point and short third man for a boundary. At the completion of 30 overs, India were 188/0.
Jess Kerr continued and Smriti Mandhana completed her 14th ODI hundred and her first in this year’s World Cup. India were 192/0 in 31 overs when Drinks was taken. Bates continued and bowled a quiet over. Jess continued as Rawal got down on one knee and helped it on its way over short fine leg for a boundary. The 200 came up for India and of the partnership as well. Smriti Mandhana then dispatched Jess by pulling it over square leg for the maximum off a juicy high full toss which was called no ball for height. The free hit yielded a single.
Bates ended the fun for Smriti Mandhana as she fell for 109 off 95 balls with 10 fours and 4 sixes to her name. Suzie bowled a flighted delivery on the stumps. Smriti Mandhana got down on one knee and went for a slog sweep and got the top edge where she skied it in the deep midwicket region. Rowe in the boundary line settled underneath it and grabbed it safely after a bit of a juggle. Jemimah Rodrigues came out to bat next.
Amelia returned to the attack. She bowled a quiet over. Devine came back into the attack as Rodrigues caressed through the covers as Jemimah planted her front leg and brought out an exquisite cover drive for a boundary. Rawal leaned into the fuller length delivery and drove it past the diving cover fielder for a boundary. Amelia continued as Jemimah shuffled across and lapped it fine to short fine leg for a boundary.
Suzie continued and bowled a quiet over. Mair continued as Rawal continued her maiden ODI World Cup century and was delighted with the performance. Rawal then pumped Mair by flicking it over midwicket for the maximum. Bates continued as Rawal miscued a shot in the air down the green but Maddy Green put the catch down as Rawal got a life. Bates appealed for LBW against Rodrigues and was given NOT OUT. The New Zealand team reviewed but the decision was upheld as the White Ferns lost the review. After 40 overs, India were well-placed at 254/1.
Pratika Rawal falls after a brilliant knock, but Jemimah Rodrigues powers India to 340/3 in 49 overs in rain affected game.
Jess Kerr continued as Rodrigues smashed her over mid-off for a boundary. She hit another boundary next ball to slice in the gap between backward point and short third man for a boundary as the 50-run stand came up between the two players. Suzie Bates continued as Rodrigues made room and drove it past covers for a boundary. Rodrigues took her front leg out of the way and hit it it right in the gap between deep midwicket and long-on for a boundary.
Amelia Kerr came back into the attack. Rawal took Amelia on and clubbed her down the ground over the bowler’s head for a boundary. Amelia then dismissed Rawal for 122 off 134 balls with 13 fours and 2 sixes to her name. Amelia tossed it up leg break outside off-stump. Pratika stepped out of the crease again and looked to lift it over widish long-off fence but got it off the toe end of the bat. She failed to get the required power. Rowe on the boundary runs to her left and dived to grab it with a dive. Captain Harmanpreet Kaur came out to bat next.
Eden Carson came back into the attack. She bowled a decent over. Amelia continued as Jemimah brought up her fifty in style as she tossed it up as Jemimah planted her front leg and drove it crisply in the gap between covers and cover point for a boundary. She reached her fifty in 38 balls as 300 also came up for India. India were 302/2 in 45 overs.
Carson returned to the attack as Jemimah brought out the reverse sweep and played it too fine to beat short third for a boundary. Jemimah then wahcked it away by going inside out over extra covers for a boundary. She was on a roll as she went deep in the crease and cut it hard past the left of backward point for a boundary.
Mair came back into the attack as Rodrigues was dropped by Gaze who was standing upto the stumps. Kaur then showed placement as she waited for the ball and punched it nicely to get it between backward point and cover point for a boundary. Bates came to bowl her final spell and bowled a good over. India were 329/2 with Rodrigues unbeaten on 69 off 51 balls with 10 fours to her name while Kaur remained unbeaten on 10 off 10 balls with one four to her name. Rain came in Navi Mumbai and heavy rain meant players went off the field.
Upon resumption, Rodrigues hit Mair for a boundary down the ground towards long-off as Green dropped another catch. Kaur fell for 10 off 11 balls with a boundary to her name. Kaur slashed the short and wide outside off with width offered. Kaur reached for it and slashed it away from the toe end of the blade as Carson dived to take the catch. Richa Ghosh came to face the final ball and got the outside edge that went away past the keeper and away to the third man fence as they ended with 340/3 in 49 overs.
It was a hard toil for the New Zealand bowlers with Suzie Bates, Amelia Kerr, and Rosemary Mair with a wicket each. The rest have gone wicketless till the rain break came and now the game could be reduced to 49 overs a side. New Zealand have been set a big total now.
Who’s Winning, India or New Zealand?
For starters, rain has to stop and the ground has to get ready for the match to resume. If play does resume, we are set to have one more over before DLS target is adjusted for New Zealand. The pitch is flat but New Zealand have to bat well to get this score on a good pitch. India have a weak bowling line-up. We could be in for a thriller of a game from here.
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