India Stunned by New Zealand in T20 World Cup Opener

India faced a surprising 58-run defeat against New Zealand in their opening match of the Women’s T20 World Cup in Dubai. Despite being on a dismal streak having lost their last ten T20 matches, the White Ferns displayed remarkable aggression, posting an imposing total of 160-4. Openers Suzie Bates and Georgia Plimmer set the tone scoring 67 runs in just 7.3 overs with Bates dropped on 18 as India’s fielding faltered.

India, one of the pre-tournament favorites made a strong comeback in the middle overs. However, New Zealand captain Sophie Devine countered with a stellar innings, finishing unbeaten on 57. In response, India struggled against New Zealand’s disciplined bowling, collapsing from 75-6 to 102 all out. Rosemary Mair led the charge for New Zealand taking a career-best 4-19.

While five Indian batters reached double figures, none surpassed captain Harmanpreet Kaur’s score of 15 as the wickets fell rapidly. Despite some early hiccups, New Zealand’s innings gained momentum with a solid start and Devine’s late surge ensured they had a competitive total. India now faces a challenging path to the semi-finals, needing to win their next match against Pakistan on Sunday.

On Tuesday, New Zealand will face off against defending champions Australia. The team came into the tournament facing uncertainty after recent series losses to England and Australia but adopted a fearless approach for this match. A significant incident occurred when Milie Kerr was involved in a controversial run-out which the umpires ruled as a dead ball after a lengthy review, prompting strong protests from the Indian team.

After the match, Devine expressed pride in her team’s hard work paying off while Kaur acknowledged their mistakes and emphasized the need for improvement moving forward.