NZ vs Ind: Batters played to their strengths, says Sophie Devine after win
Feb 22, 2022
Queenstown [New Zealand], February 22 : New Zealand skipper Sophie Devine praised the batters for playing to their strengths and taking her side to victory against India in the fourth ODI of the five-match series here at the John Davies Oval, Queenstown on Tuesday.
Amelia Kerr's 68-run knock was followed by a dominant bowling performance as New Zealand defeated India by 63 runs. The fourth ODI was curtailed to 20-overs per side after rain played spoilsport.
"It was another complete performance from us. With the bat, we showed real intent. Good experience (shortened game) with the World Cup coming up. It was a great opportunity for us. The batters played to their strengths. 191 was probably above-par. The fielding is an area where we've missed a few, that's an area where we can probably save another 10-15 runs," said Sophie Devine.
"With the bowling, at times, we have been slow to change our plans. We have to adapt quicker. I had belief in this group forever, nice to see people are seeing that. We are seeing the results now, there's real confidence and belief. It's perfect timing with the World Cup just around the corner," she added.
Chasing 192, India got off to the worst start possible as the side lost Shafali Verma (0), Yastika Bhatia (0) and Pooja Vastrakar (4) in quick succession and they were reduced to 12/3 in the third over. Soon after, Smriti Mandhana (13) was sent back to the pavilion by Hayley Jensen and India was in a spot of bother at 19/4 in the fifth over.
Richa Ghosh and Mithali Raj then got together and revived the Indian innings. Ghosh brought up her fifty off just 26 balls and as a result, she registered the fastest fifty by an Indian batter in Women's ODIs. However, the 18-year-old departed after playing a knock of 52 in the 13th over and India was reduced to 96/5.
India was not able to recover from this blow, and in the end, New Zealand registered a comfortable win.
With this win, New Zealand has gained a 4-0 lead in the five-match series. The final ODI will now be played on Thursday.
