New Zealand won the second game of the five-match ODI series against India by three wickets in Bangalore. Electing to bat, India were bowled out for 163 with three balls to spare. Barring opener MD Thirushkamini (61 of 96) the rest of the line-up struggled to stitch partnerships and post respectable scores.
The White Ferns scaled the target with ease to level the series 1-1. With the results of the first three matches having a bearing on the ranking of the team in the ICC Women’s Championship, the third match would be a must win game for both sides.
Earlier, with Thirushkamini anchoring the innings the home team were trudging on at a decent pace and were poised on 94 for two at the end of 30 overs. While Smirti Mandhana was bowled by Leigh Kasperek Mithali Raj had been adjudged lbw off her opposite number.
With Poonam Raut struggling at one end, the opener had carried the innings forward with a well compiled half-century until Lea Tahuhu struck. The pacer trapped the middle-order bat leg-before wicket which brought Harmanpreet Kaur to the crease. However, the wicket followed by the opener retiring hurt in the next over led to a batting collapse.
Shikha Pandey departed hitting Bates to Kasperek in the first over of the batting powerplay and was followed by Jhulan Goswami 12 runs later. And after the addition of just five runs, two overs later, Sneh Rana edged Bates to the wicketkeeper reducing India to 123 for six. With little over eight overs still left in the innings, Thirushkamini came back to the crease but was sent back by the NZ captain in her next over. Bates forced a nick from the opener through to the wicketkeeper to keep up the pressure on the hosts. Kaur who had looked in decent nick at the other end meanwhile garnered a boundary in each over before hitting Sophie Devine to mid-off and departing for 31.
Ekta Bisht and R Kalpana then added nine for the ninth wicket until the latter was castled by Morna Nielsen; and in the last over Rajeshwari Gayakwad was run out by Devine to end the Indian innings.
Jhulan Goswami provided the hosts their first breakthrough with the wicket of the opposition captain Suzie Bates. The pacer crashed the opener’s stumps to leave NZ on nine for one. Rachel Priest and Amy Satterthwaite then took the team to 46 until Gayakwad struck a double blow. Priest was caught at cover and Maddie Green was out lbw.
22 runs later, Satterthwaite was run out leaving the visitors on 68 for four. Devine and Katie Perkins set about the job of reviving the innings and keeping in course of the target. The pair stitched a 49-run partnership until Perkins hit Bisht to Raj at cover and return for a well compiled 30 off 43 runs.
Devine who had held the innings together during her 62-ball stay in the middle was the next to depart an over later; stumped for 33 off Bisht. Having stepped out to the spinner, the middle-order bat wasn’t quick enough to drag her foot behind the line and Kalpana flicked the bails off.
With 35 runs still needed, Kate Broadmore joined Kasperek in the middle, but found her stumps dismantled by Goswami leaving the White Ferns on 132 for seven. Anna Peterson who then came out to bat forged a partnership with Kasperek. Taking on the Indian bowlers they found the ropes with success. The lower-order bat slammed Rana over mid-wicket for six to close in on the target. The duo then took the team across the line without further hiccups with 34 balls to spare.
