Queenstown (New Zealand), Feb 12: The Indian women lost the first One-Day International by 62 runs on Saturday at the John Davies Oval, and now trail 0-1 in the five-match ODI series. Suzie Bates was adjudged Player of the Match for her scintillating 106-run innings. Chasing 275, India lost openers Sabbhineni Meghana (4) and Shafali Verma (12).
India were 17/2 under 6 overs. Lea Tahuhu removed removed Meghana while New Zealand captain Sophie Devine got rid of Verma. Then, Yastika Bhatia (41) and Mithali Raj (59) came together to rebuild the innings and started to tee off towards the end of the Powerplay. They put on an 88-run partnership but the pressure of the scoreboard got to Bhatia, who in her effort to accelerate the scoring picked out the fielder at deep square. Mithali Raj got to her 50.
But with the required run rate at 7.5, she was caught at point trying to take the aerial route. India soon lost half their side as Harmanpreet Kaur’s lean patch with the bat continued. India’s lower-order had an uphill task. Richa Ghosh and Pooja Vastrakar chipped in with valuable 20s but only delayed the inevitable as India were bowled out for 213.
Jess Kerr stood out with a four-for, first breaking the back of the Indian innings with the wickets of Mithali and Harmanpreet, before wrapping up the game with two wickets in two balls. For New Zealand, Jess Kerr was the highest wicket taker by claiming 4 wickets. Hayley Jensen chipped in with two wickets. Amelia Kerr,Hannah Rowe, Sophie Devine and Lea Tahuhu got one wicket each. Put in to bat first, New Zealand openers Suzie Bates (106) and Maddy Green (17) put on a solid start, adding 54 runs for the first wicket.
Green was caught at slip off Deepti Sharma. While Bates soon got to her 50, Amelia Kerr took up the role of the aggressor in her 39-ball 33 that included five boundaries. Eventually, Poonam Yadav got the better of her trying an expansive shot. Bates got to her 12th ODI century in the 36th over of the innings but fell in the very next over, holing out at deep mid-wicket, thus bringing to an end to her brilliant 98-run partnership with Satterthwaite.
Sophie Devine got a massive reprieve six balls into her innings after being dropped by Richa Ghosh but she was back in the hut two overs later. New Zealand kept losing wickets at regular intervals in the death overs – 7 wickets in the last 8 overs – but Satterwaite’s 63 off 67 ensured the home side put up a respectable total. The White Ferns, who at one point were 204/2, were bundled out for 275. For India, veteran pacer Jhulan Goswami, Pooja Vastrakar, Deepti Sharma and Rajeshwari Gayakwad claimed 2 wickets apiece. Poonam Yadav scalped one wicket.
