An off day for Indian men, women Mithali sits out, Smriti’s record knock in vain
Rohit, Dhawan, Pant flounder vs NZ as India suffer their worst defeat in Twenty20 format
WELLINGTON: Wicketkeeper Tim Seifert hit 84 from 43 balls on Wednesday to help New Zealand to an 80-run win over India in the first of three T20 Internationals.
Seifert’s maiden half century lifted New Zealand to 219-6 after being put in to bat, and the team then handed India their worst loss in T20 when they were bowled out for 139 in 19.2 overs. It was only the eighth time India were bowled out in a T20 International.
An opening partnership of 86 in 8.2 overs between Seifert and Colin Munro (34) got New Zealand off to a strong start.
Captain Kane Williamson hit 34 from 22 balls, Ross Taylor 23 from 14 and Scott Kuggeleijn 20 from only seven deliveries as New Zealand posted their highest score in T20 matches at the Wellington Regional Stadium.
In contrast, India struggled to attain any momentum in their innings. Opener Shikhar Dhawan struck 29 from 18 balls with two fours and three sixes and Vijay Shankar hit 27 from 28 with two fours and two sixes.
Wickets fell at regular intervals although MS Dhoni topscored with 39 from 31 balls and was out two balls before the end.
In the early part of their innings, India were close to the pace set by New Zealand. They were 46-1 after five overs when New Zealand had been 54-0; the equation became more balanced when Dhawan scored 18 from the fifth over.
In the sixth, Lockie Ferguson bowled Dhawan with a 151.5 kph yorker. Mitchell Santner then removed Rishabh Pant (4) and Shankar in the space of two balls in the ninth over.
Apart from Dhoni, only Krunal Pandya (20 from 18 balls) made an impact in the lower half of the order.
New Zealand benefited from the crucial opening partnership between Seifert and Munro.
Seifert blazed his way to a maiden T20 half century from only 30 balls with five fours and three sixes. He finished with seven fours and six sixes in an innings which likely secured his place as the backup keeper in New Zealand’s squad for the upcoming World Cup.
New Zealand produced an outstanding collective bowling performance. Ferguson took 2-20 from his four overs and claimed two catches in the outfield while Tim Southee took 3-17 and Santner 2-24.
Daryl Mitchell, son of former All Blacks rugby coach and current England assistant coach John Mitchell, took a wicket on debut.
According to Krunal Pandya, it was the middle overs that proved costly.
“In the Powerplay as well as in the middle overs, we gave away plenty of runs,” Krunal said.
He maintained that the target wasn’t easy to chase.
LEAKING RUNS
“Yes, obviously I guess, when you are chasing 218 (220), it’s not that easy. Initially, we gave away (too many) runs and kept on leaking runs in the middle overs as well. So, no matter how the pitch was, the scoreboard pressure was obviously there,” the Baroda all-rounder said.
Krunal felt that India’s defeat was “a combination of both poor bowling and some great batting by the Black Caps.
“They batted really well and we bowled a few loose deliveries as well. So it was a combination of both.”
A couple of catches were dropped including one by Dhoni, when Seifert hadn’t scored much.
Asked if wind and cold conditions posed a problem while fielding, Krunal replied: “No, not that much. It was fine. In fact, it
was good weather to play. As far as the wind is concerned, it wasn’t difficult to catch the ball so I guess it was absolutely fine.
“Dropping catches is part and parcel of the game. One day you might take a blinder like (Mohd) Siraj and then another day two catches (Dhoni and Karthik) get dropped as well. It’s just that you have to learn from every game.” The next T20 is in Auckland on Friday. WELLINGTON: Smriti Mandhana remained an unstoppable juggernaut with a record-smashing half century but the India women’s cricket team failed to make it count, going down by 23 runs in the opening T20 International against New Zealand here Wednesday.
Mithali Raj, who captains the ODI side, was dropped from the match.
Mandhana held the record for the fastest fifty by an Indian before the match and she bettered it by a ball during her 58-run knock at the Westpac Stadium. The 22-year-old faced 34 balls in all but reached the 50-mark off 24 deliveries.
However, New Zealand pacer Lea Tahuhu played a decisive role with three scalps off her four overs to derail India’s pursuit of a 160-run target which was going smoothly till the time Mandhana was at the crease.
India eventually folded for 136 in 19.1 overs. Leg-spinner Amelia Kerr (2/28) clinched the crucial wickets of Mandhana and Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur to wreck the visitors’ chances. Off-spinner Leigh Kasperek also picked up a couple of wickets.
Earlier, opening batsman Sophie Devine smashed a 48-ball 62 in an enterprising innings to take New Zealand women to a challenging 159 for 4 from 20 overs after being put into bat.
“Obviously we didn’t get the start we wanted but it was pretty good to come back and win. It’s just about keeping calm,” said Tahuhu, who was adjudged player of the match for her performance.
Harmanpreet, on the other hand, blamed India’s loss on a poor batting effort, especially in the last 10 overs.
“I think bowlers did really well as we expected. We didn’t bat well in the last 10 overs. That is only area where we are always struggling,” she pointed out.
Asked about Mithali’s absence and whether her experience would have come handy, Harmanpreet said, “We are looking to give chance to young girls, that is the only reason.”
Brief scores: New Zealand: 159/4 in 20 overs (S Devine 62; D Sharma 1/19) bt India 136 in 19.1 overs (S Mandhana 58; L Tahuhu 3/20)
by 23 runs.