IND Women vs NZ Women 2024/25, IND-W vs NZ-W 2nd ODI Match Report, October 27, 2024

new zealand 259 for 9 wickets (Devine 79, Bates 58, Radha 4-69) defeated India 183 (Radha 48, Devine 3-27, Tahuhu 3-42) by 76 runs

Devine scored 79 and ended a quiet period with the bat for his team, eventually taking New Zealand’s first innings to 259. With the ball, she also got her opposite numbers Harmanpreet Kaur and Jemimah Rodrigues going. India’s chase was never on track either side of that brief stand, falling well behind despite some resilience late in the contest.

Harmanpreet and Rodrigues added 38 runs for the fourth wicket, and it remained India’s highest partnership until Radha and Thakor added 70 runs for the ninth wicket. Harmanpreet’s 24-run partnership was the highest by any top seven batsman for India that night, and ended at 77 for 5. The wheels came off in the 18th over.

But Deepti Sharma dropped Plimmer’s catch in the tenth over when the all-rounder dropped the first of three catches on 16 runs. Plimmer and Bates relied mostly on timing and placement rather than power. Harmanpreet, who returned to the team after missing the first ODI due to injury, introduced spin in the sixth over, but it did not affect New Zealand’s rhythm.

The breakthrough finally came when Radha took the first of her two spectacular catches in the 16th over. Positioned at midwicket, she moved sharply to her right and dived at full length to have Plimmer caught on 41 off the bowling of Deepti. After this the game of 12 overs started in which New Zealand’s score was only 34 runs at the loss of three wickets.

Bates brought up her half-century to start the 19th over, but on the next ball, Deepti attempted to catch it with her right hand instead of with both hands and dropped it at midwicket. However, two overs later, a drive from Bates hit debutant Priya Mishra and was caught by Lauren Down at the non-striker’s end.

In the 27th, Radha had Bates caught and bowled for 58, but Devine stood firm at the other end. After this, the phase of the game started where New Zealand kept itself stable. In the next 17 overs they scored 84 runs and lost only one wicket. Devine cut, flicked and pulled for the boundary, but in the 32nd over, Radha again surprised New Zealand with her fielding. Now placed at extra cover, she sprinted in and made a full dive to have Brooke Halliday caught for 8.

But Devine and Green ensured that India did not run away with the game, even when Deepti fell to Green for 6 in the 34th over. Both batsmen kept ticking and when Devine was on 36, he overturned the LBW decision against him. He brought up his half-century in the 41st over off 65 balls, capping off a solid finish. New Zealand scored 55 runs in the last six overs, with Green driving, ramping and flicking Thakor for consecutive boundaries in the 45th over.

Radha dismissed Green at long off for 42 in the next over, but a boundary from Kerr and a six from Devine took New Zealand to 259. This proved to be more than enough.