Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: Openers Smriti Mandhana and Pratika Rawal scored contrasting centuries and shared a 212-run partnership to lay the foundation for India’s 53-run win via DLS method against New Zealand in a rain-hit match 24 of the ICC Women’s ODI World Cup in Mumbai late on October 23. The win sealed India (six points) a place in the semifinals, where they joined Australia, England and South Africa with a match to spare. Though both India and New Zealand have a match each and can tie on six points (if India lose to Bangladesh and New Zealand beat England), India will still make it to the last-four as they will have more wins (3 against 2).
Mandhana produced a masterclass in stroke-play as she compiled a brilliant 109 off 95 balls, while Rawal started cautiously and then played some aggressive shots in scoring 122 off 134 balls as India posted 340/3 in 49 overs. With rain halting play once again, New Zealand was set a revised target of 325 off 44 overs as per the DLS Method, but they fell short by 53 runs despite valiant efforts by Brooke Halliday, Isabella Gaze and Amelia Kerr. Halliday struck an 84-ball 81 while Gaze played a cameo as New Zealand, chasing a revised target of 325 in 44 overs, managed to reach 271/8 after India rode on contrasting centuries by Smriti Mandhana (109 off 95 balls) and Pratika Rawal (122 from 134) and a blazing unbeaten 76 off 55 balls by Jemimah Rodrigues to post 340/3 in 49 overs.
The match was disrupted twice by brief spells of rain, the first one after the 48th over in India’s innings, resulting in a one-hour-long break due to wet patches in the outfield and the match was reduced to 49 overs. There was another interruption during the 10-minute mid-innings break, and the match was further reduced to 44-overs-a-side, and New Zealand was set a revised target of 325. But their chase failed to take off as Kranti Gaud sent back opener Suzie Bates for 1 in the second over, as the batter took a swing at a wide delivery outside off, only for Pratika Rawal to grab a catch at over-point.
