It was India fired up by a brilliant ton from Smriti Mandhana (100), who took the honours by six wickets. The southpaw Smriti Mandhana was the Player of the Match for her eighth hundred in the format.
With this century, Smriti Mandhana broke the record for most ODI hundreds for India in Women’s ODIs, overtaking Mithali Raj (7) with whom she was tied earlier. Chasing a target of 233 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, Smriti Mandhana led the charge from the front. She slammed her eighth ODI century and broke Mithali’s record for the most tons for India in the format. The former skipper had seven ODI tons to her name.
In a rollercoaster of a series where India and New Zealand grabbed a game each, it all came down to the wire in the third and final ODI at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad to decide the winner
Smriti Mandhana got to her century off 121 balls but fell off the immediate next legal ball she faced, getting cleaned by pacer Hannah Rowe. Harmanpreet Kaur hit a half-ton and went back unbeaten with Tejal Hasabnis as the hosts chased down the score in 44.2 overs with six wickets in hand.
Pitch Report and Toss
Pitch Report : The decider will be played on pitch number 7. It is 69m down the ground and 59m on either side. It is a 100% red soil pitch so there will be some extra bounce. The spinners have dominated the first two games so the batters need to counter with some power hitting in the middle overs. The pitch is hard, dry and it is a hot, sunny afternoon in Ahmedabad reckons WV Raman
Toss : New Zealand Women skipper Sophie Devine won the toss and chose to bat with one change in playing XI bringing in Hannah Rowe for Jess Kerr. India Women skipper Harmanpreet Kaur bowling first also made one change to her playing XI bringing in Renuka Thakur Singh for Arundhati Reddy
Brooke Halliday’s brilliance after Deepti Sharma’s 3-fer carries NZ -W to 232
Opting to bat after winning the toss, the White Ferns started their innings steadily, placing themselves at 23/0 after the first six. The Harmanpreet Kaur-led side struck back with some crucial wickets between the seventh and the eleventh overs, taking the scalps of Suzie Bates (4), Lauren Down (1) and the skipper, Sophie Devine (9) who were all sent back for single-digit scores.
Brooke Halliday and Georgia Plimmer tried to take back control before Priya Mishra picked up her second of the evening with the wicket of Plimmer, who made 39. After being reduced to 88/5 in the 24th over, Halliday and Izzy Gaze (25) rebuilt the innings with a 64-run partnership.

Despite losing wickets at regular intervals at one end, Halliday held her guard at the other and guided herself to a resilient 86 off 96 deliveries, that included nine fours and three sixes. Lea Tahuhu brought in some fireworks towards the end, even as the White Ferns were bowled out for 232 off the penultimate delivery of their innings.
Deepti Sharma led with the ball for India, amassing three wickets, while Priya Mishra landed herself two wickets. Renuka Singh and Saima Thakor grabbed one apiece as well.
Earlier, Halliday braved the scorching Ahmedabad heat as she strung important stands with Izabella Gaze and Rowe, before Tahuhu smashed an unbeaten 24 off 14 balls to get New Zealand past the 230-run mark.
It was a much-improved Indian fielding show on display in the third ODI. They had dropped as many as six catches in the second ODI, to go with multiple misfields, as they went down heavily. But they came out as a unit on a mission on Tuesday, led by the two usual fielding stars, Radha Yadav and Rodrigues, as they frustrated the New Zealand openers, Suzie Bates and Georgia Plimmer, in the powerplay.
Rodrigues was into the act in the third over as she almost effected a run-out after a stunning save at short extra-cover, with Bates having to dive full length to just about make her crease. Rodrigues’ brilliance came to the fore in the seventh over again when there was a spot of miscommunication between the two batters and this time Bates was caught well short of her crease despite the dive.
Plimmer had, meanwhile, started to find the hang of the red-soil surface. She got her boundary-counter running with a solid on-drive off Renuka Thakur before piercing the gap between mid-off and cover off the same bowler. Saima Thakor was also driven for two fours in three balls in the sixth over, but she bounced back with the wicket of Lauren Down, removing her with a gentle length ball that tailed away late and caught her outside edge.

Devine, the star of the second ODI, looked ominous from the get-go, striking two authoritative fours within her first seven balls. But she was undone by a stunning wrong’un from Priya Mishra as she went back to a delivery that she ideally should have been forward to, and the ball crashed into her middle stump.
Halliday, though, looked the part all the way. She got off the mark with an elegant off drive, but regular wickets at the other end pinned New Zealand down. Plimmer was removed by Mishra, who induced a thick outside edge, with Deepti Sharma taking a sharp catch at slip – she was guilty of dropping three catches in the second ODI.
New Zealand then lost half their side when another miscommunication ensued between Maddy Green and Halliday, with the former stuck in the middle of the pitch. Rodrigues was again in the thick of things at point.
Halliday had to do the repair job, and she found an ally in Gaze. Halliday struck her first six in the 38th over off Mishra, and soon reached her sixth ODI fifty with a flick in the 40th over.
Gaze fell chipping a full toss meekly back to Deepti for her first wicket, but Halliday and Rowe carried on by adding 47 off 41 balls for the seventh wicket.
Halliday, who was spent by that time, put her foot on the pedal, even showing off a few innovative reverse hits and paddles. She managed to generate enough power to clear the ropes twice – once off Harmanpreet Kaur and then off Deepti – but fell in the 46th over caught at deep midwicket. Rowe fell soon after but Tahuhu smashed two fours and a six to help New Zealand end on a high. Eventually, they were well below par.
While the chase was orchestrated with clockwork precision, there were also gains made in the field. Asked to bowl first once more on a sultry afternoon, India produced an improved fielding effort after putting down as many as six chances in the second ODI. Today they affected three run-outs, including one right at the top to separate the in-form opening pair of Suzie Bates and Georgia Plimmer with Rodrigues dismissing the senior opener.
Despite Plimmer trying to reprise her fast-starting act from a couple of evenings ago, New Zealand managed only 35 for 2 in the PowerPlay. Devine, in fine form, struck two powerful boundaries in her first seven balls but was cleaned up by an excellent wrong ‘un from Priya Mishra. Playing only her second ODI, Mishra also removed Plimmer for 39 after drawing an edge that was snapped by Deepti Sharma, who incidentally put down three in the last game.
New Zealand were five down for 88 after another miscommunication led to Maddy Green’s runout with Rodrigues once again the alert fielder. The onus was on Brooke Halliday to anchor the turnaround and she found an able partner in Isabella Gaze, who made 25 off 49 in a stand of 64. Halliday struck a six off Mishra in the 38th over and got to her sixth half-century in the 40th, before putting her foot on the pedal.
Two more sixes came off her bat before she fell in the 46th over after making a career-best 86 off 96. In the absence of Shreyanka Patil, out with shin splints, Deepti extended her good form and finished with a three-wicket haul, but India still conceded 70 in the final eight overs of the innings. On this day, however, it wasn’t going to hurt them as New Zealand just didn’t have enough.
Earlier, New Zealand made 232 but the score didn’t seem too challenging. They were jolted by the regular blows earlier in the innings. The White Ferns were 66/4 and then 88/5 with the Indian bowlers shining. The big fight came from Brooke Halliday, who made 86 and anchored the innings. Lea Tahuhu helped in the death overs, making 24 from 14 before the visitors were bowled out for 232 with one ball to go. However, the total ended up being short.
Smriti Mandhana’s record ton lands India series 2-1 win over New Zealand Women
Chasing 233 to win the series, India showed promise but Hannah Rowe dealt the first blow for India with a successful review to dismiss Shafali Verma, who was caught behind. Yastika Bhatia joined Smriti Mandhana in the middle and the duo stitched together a strong 76-run partnership, before Bhatia fell for 35.
Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur joined the chase and from then on, it was smooth sailing for India. The pair showed tremendous quality to rotate the strike often, while piling up the runs and maintaining the required run rate under control. The Indian skipper registered her 18th ODI fifty during the 117-run partnership.
Smriti Mandhana reached her record-breaking eighth ODI century off 121 balls to further register her impact in the game, before being dismissed off the very next ball she faced. Smriti Mandhana got to her century off 121 balls but fell off the immediate next legal ball she faced, getting cleaned by pacer Hannah Rowe.
Harmanpreet Kaur hit a half-ton and went back unbeaten with Tejal Hasabnis as the hosts chased down the score in 44.2 overs with six wickets in hand.

India were in control of the run-chase throughout the second innings. While they lost Shafali Verma early in the fourth over, Smriti Mandhana and Yastika Bhatia gave the early platform with a 76-run stand. Yastika departed for 35 as she was caught and bowled by captain Sophie Devine but the hosts didn’t have much of a hiccup after that. Captain Harmanpreet Kaur and vice-captain Mandhana joined hands and kept the runs going. The two notched a 117-run stand for the fourth wicket.
Harmanpreet got to her fifty, while Mandhana crossed her ton. Right after her hundred, Mandhana was cleaned up by Hannah Rowe. Jemimah Rodrigues came in and looked positive. She made 22 from 18 balls before getting trapped LBW. Harmanpreet was joined by youngster Tejal and the skipper hit the winning four to take India home.
India were seldom bothered in the chase despite the early loss of Shafali Verma, who was strangled down the legside by Hannah Rowe. With the target not quite daunting, Smriti Mandhana was allowed the luxury of a slow start – she was 9 off 26 at one point – before she got a measure of the pitch and found her range and timing. A swivel-pull off Sophie Devine and a lofted straight drive off Eden Carson got her innings going.

Smriti Mandhana and Bhatia never really got out of second gear in their stand of 76 to which the latter contributed 35 runs and four boundaries before drilling one straight back to Devine for a caught and bowled.
In cruise control now, the two senior batters flicked a switch and the 37th over bowled by the visiting skipper Devine signaled the pair’s intention of not wanting to take this chase too deep. Harmanpreet whipped a four past mid-wicket before Smriti Mandhana did the double of a lofted off-drive and a pull for fours. Harmanpreet got to her 50, off 54 balls, before her deputy notched up her eighth ODI ton, going past Mithali Raj’s Indian record of seven, after pushing Carson to long off for a single.
Smriti Mandhana fell at the end of this 117-run stand by when victory was only 24 runs away, but Jemimah Rodrigues slammed four fours in her 18-ball 22 to hasten the victory march. India got home in the 45th over.
Smriti Mandhana had fallen to the outside-the-off-stump trap twice in two innings in this ODI series. In the first game, she carved Jess Kerr to backward point. Two days later, she did it again, chipping it straight to point for a duck. So, when Smriti Mandhana came out in pursuit of New Zealand’s target of 233, she was circumspect to the point that in the first three overs, she shouldered arms to at least five balls. She was ready to be patient and build her innings. The move paid dividends.
Smriti Mandhana has had a good 2024 in ODIs, having scored two centuries and a half-century in six innings coming into this game. On Tuesday, she played the patient game. She was on 9 off 26 balls at one point, but did not throw it away. She had a slice of luck when she seemingly inside-edged a Lea Tahuhu full-length delivery on to her pad in the third over. Replays later suggested the ball had hit her pad first and had New Zealand reviewed, she would have been out. It was the luck Smriti Mandhana needed, and she did not look back.
At the other end, Shafali, though, had no such luck. She got going with two crips fours, but was caught down the leg side after a faint nick in the fourth over.
Smriti Mandhana was joined by Bhatia in the middle and the two kept their composure in the chase. Smriti Mandhana struck her first four in the ninth over, a swivel-pull against Sophie Devine, followed by a chip down the ground off Eden Carson. Bhatia also struck a few smart boundaries. They added 76 runs for the second wicket before Bhatia was caught and bowled by Devine.
Harmanpreet walked out at No. 4 and with a platform set, the two went about their innings calmly. Mandhana brought up her half-century with a short-arm jab through midwicket and soon started finding the fence with more regularity. Harmanpreet, too, was wary initially but soon found the measure of the surface and the runs started flowing from both ends. They brought up the 50-run stand for the third wicket in the 31st over.
Harmanpreet did go down with cramps not long after, but that was not going to stop her. She unleashed an array of drives and pulls with Smriti Mandhana also going after Devine. Harmanpreet reached her half-century off 54 balls while Smriti Mandhana got to her century, the eighth of her career, off 121 balls with a push down the ground. She fell without adding another run, cleaned up by Hannah Rowe, but the job was done by then.
Jemimah Rodrigues walked out and immediately got four fours away as India could see the finishing line. She fell lbw to Fran Jonas with India needing a run, and Harmanpreet fittingly finished off the chase in the 45th over.
Presentations and Takeaways from the Series
Sophie Devine the loosing NZ-W skipper said : Incredibly proud of our players. We were down to just 12 players after losing our best player (Amelia Kerr) to injury. In difficult conditions, we did really well so very proud of our group. We fought really hard and now it’s time to head home and have a bit of a break. We’re building some confidence of getting a score even if we lose 2-3 early. 232 wasn’t enough but it was a good score.
The conditions were tough and the team showed great character and resilience. Tried to take the same blueprint from the World Cup, attacking the stumps is quite effective in this part of the world. Everyone stepped up, Tahuhu was running in on one leg. To keep fighting was great, we weren’t good enough but we’ll go home and reflect and come back stronger.
Harmanpreet Kaur the winning IND-W skipper said : As I said in the morning, we discussed a lot of things and really happy we could execute today. Whenever we play, we always want to give our 100% but sometimes things don’t go your way. As a professional cricketer you have to keep pushing yourself and keep going. We discussed these things in the team meeting so really happy we could come back after that loss in the last game.
Would like to give credit to Smriti, she was struggling early on but she managed to get runs. It was important for us as we wanted to win this series at any cost. Really happy about our partnership. Always talking about our fielding, that’s an area we need to keep working hard. We are working hard but just waiting for the results till the time we can be the best fielding side.
Smriti Mandhana Player of the match for her 100 runs said : Really pleased to get the series win. As I said in the first game, it has been a tough 1 and a half months for this team. The first two games didn’t go my way so really happy I could get a score today. It was more about controlling my shots, you don’t bat the same way everyday. You’re in the best frame some days and you’re not other days.
Had to be little hard on myself early on and wait for the first 10 overs to go before taking the game on. For me what works is the harder way. Need to do it for the team first. Getting out early means I’ve let the team down and that thought doesn’t let me sleep well. As a cricketer you are going to get highs and lows, you need to keep the routine the same.
Deepti Sharma Player of the series said : [Translated from Hindi] I enjoy myself on the field and that’s what takes the pressure off me. Try to keep it simple. Just wanted to believe in myself, such matches happen so was just thinking about how I can contribute. Had faith in myself and was able to do even better today.
Wicket was such that it was skidding nicely sometimes, as a bowler you had to vary pace. Needed to consider how the batters were playing as well, varied my pace accordingly. Mindset will be the same, would like to do even better in future matches.
Smriti Mandhana scored her third ODI century of 2024 as India broke the bat-first-win-game template in the series decider against New Zealand at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Mandhana made 100 off 122, putting on big stands along the way with Yastika Bhatia (35) and Harmanpreet Kaur (59*) as the hosts cruised to victory in a chase of 232 with six wickets and 34 balls to spare and thereby clinched the series with a 2-1 margin.
After scores of 5 and 0 in the first two ODIs, Smriti Mandhana regained her touch in the series decider as she cracked her third ODI century of the year, helping India beat New Zealand by six wickets and take the three-match series 2-1. She was ably supported by first Yastika Bhatia (35) and then Harmanpreet Kaur (59 not out) as India put on a chasing masterclass in Ahmedabad.
Batting first, New Zealand rode largely on Brooke Halliday’s career-best 86 off 96 balls as she lifted her side from the depths of 88 for 5 in the 24th over to 232 all out in 49.5 overs. Teams batting first won both ODIs in the series, but India were having none of it as the top order shone through in the chase as they romped home with 34 balls to spare.
Clinical performance this from India, they cruise home to victory with such ease. Smriti Mandhana was at the forefront of today’s run-chase, she was at her fluent best and notched up her 8th ODI century. She was well supported by Yastika first, who made 35, and then by her skipper Harman who took charge and made 59 not-out at a good clip. Smriti Mandhana and Harman shared a 117-run stand and New Zealand never looked like they were in the game.
India were able to knock them around easily and when the decided to put their foot on the pedal, the boundaries came just as easily too. New Zealand will probably look back on their batting, 232 wasn’t quite enough on a surface like this. The surface seemed to ease up a bit too and their spinners didn’t get the same purchase the Indian spinners got earlier in the day. Game won and series won for India!
India seal the series 2-1 and they’ll be very pleased with today’s effort. New Zealand simply weren’t at their best today. Most of their batters just couldn’t get in, their running looked dodgy and it needed a superb knock from Brooke Halliday to get them up to 232. When they came out to bowl, they simply didn’t hit the right areas and there were a lot of loose deliveries.
They were very much unlike themselves in the field too – all signs pointing to some fatigue that may well have crept up on them after a long World Cup campaign and two hard-fought ODIs here right after that. India just sauntered through this game relatively unbothered.
With this result, India are at the third place of the ICC Women’s Championship 2022-25 with 25 points from 15 games, whereas New Zealand are sixth with 20 points from 21 games. The Women in Blue return to action in December, with a three-match ODI series set against Australia away from home, after which the White Ferns make their return against the same opposition at home.