Sunday Oct 26, 2025
Sunday Oct 26, 2025
Friday, 24 October 2025 00:12 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
India virtually sealed the fourth semi-final spot in the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup when they beat New Zealand by 53 runs (DLS method) in a crucial game for both teams played at Navi Mumbai yesterday.
In the end, it was a fairly comfortable win for India. Their batters did the bulk of the heavy lifting, lifting them to an imposing total of 340-3 in 49 overs before Kranti Gaud and Renuka Singh dented the New Zealand charge in the powerplay.
New Zealand’s revised target was 325 off 44 overs. Skipper Sophie Devine fell for 6 soon after the field restrictions were lifted and from that point, New Zealand were always playing catch-up cricket. Brooke Halliday’s 81 off 84 balls (9 fours, 1 six) and Isabella Gaze’s knocks (65* off 51 balls, 10 fours) were studded with boundaries and showed a lot of promise, but it acted only as a mere consolation.
The Indian openers laid an excellent foundation with a record 212-run stand off 202 balls. Player of the Match Smriti Mandhana (109 off 95 balls, 10 fours, 4 sixes), her 14th in WODIs and first in this World Cup, and Pratika Rawal (122 off 134 balls, 13 fours, 2 sixes) both scored hundreds and led the charge in this crucial game. Rawal made her maiden century in a World Cup and also became joint fastest 1,000 WODI runs. Jemimah Rodrigues maintained the tempo set by the openers with 76* off 55 balls (10 fours) as India finished on a high.
Scores:
India Women 340-3 (49) (Pratika Rawal 122, Smriti Mandhana 109, Jemimah Rodrigues 76*)
New Zealand Women 271-8 (44) (Georgia Plimmer 30, Amelia Kerr 45, Brooke Halliday 81, Isabella Gaze 65*, Renuka Singh 2/25, Kranti Gaud 2/48)
