India’s top order clicked in unison to power the hosts into the 2025 Women’s ODI World Cup semifinals. Pratika Rawal and Smriti Mandhana, both having started the tournament on a tepid note, hit sparkling centuries whereas Jemimah Rodrigues made a strong comeback to the team as the three combined to help India post their highest World Cup total. Once India had a gigantic 340/3 on the board, they virtually had one foot in the knockouts as New Zealand fell short of the target by 53 runs (DLS method).
India called the shots in this contest right from the word go despite losing the toss. After four tranquil overs to begin with in which they scored only 6 runs, Rawal found the boundary twice against Rosemary Mair. However, as is generally the case, it was Mandhana who served the mantle of the chief aggressor as she fetched boundaries in the second half of the first powerplay. Even though the run rate was still sedate at this stage, Mandhana slowly brought out her weapons with her second six of the innings ushering the experienced campaigner to her third successive fifty.
With the partnership breaching the century mark, the left-right pair continued to amend the record books. While Rawal brought up her fifty off 75 deliveries, Mandhana’s strike rate now leapfrogged 100 as India looked in cruise control at the halfway mark. With all ten wickets remaining, even Rawal started to flex her muscles and hit a couple of boundaries off Lea Tahuhu in a single over. Mandhana glided into the 90s at the other end with a six and a four off leg-spinner Amelia Kerr before accomplishing her 14th ODI century.
Suzie Bates, the pick of New Zealand’s bowlers, stalled the double century partnership when Mandhana mistimed a slog sweep. Rodrigues then walked out with a point to prove, and she was a woman on a mission. Rawal reached her maiden World Cup hundred and celebrated the achievement with a maximum, but it was Rodrigues who gave India the lift-off by racing to 39 off just 28 balls at one point. Once Rawal departed for 122, Rodrigues realized her half-century off just 39 deliveries and continued to showcase her range to keep collecting boundaries.
Due to a rain break, New Zealand’s target was adjusted to 325 in 44 overs. Dazed by the leather hunt India put them through, New Zealand lost Suzie Bates in just the second over of the chase. India’s new ball bowlers made life hell for the T20 World champions as they conceded a mere 14 runs from the first six overs, notwithstanding the mandatory fielding restrictions. Georgia Plimmer broke the shackles with a couple of boundaries and backed that mini-assault up with another significant over in which she hit a six and a four to welcome Sneh Rana into the attack.
However, Renuka Singh retaliated ferociously on India’s behalf when Plimmer dragged one onto her stumps after the end of the PowerPlay. In her very next over, she also castled the skipper Sophie Devine to put India on top. Amerlia Kerr led a brief recovery alongside Brooke Halliday but the pressure was mounting on New Zealand with the required rate climbing. That eventually led to Kerr’s exit.
Halliday then helped herself to a half-century and kept the scorecard ticking. She had Isabelle Gaze towards the end of the chase and while New Zealand did up the tempo a notch, the required run rate had reached a height where catching up was nigh impossible. After Halliday’s valiant effort, Gaze and Jess Kerr packed a punch for a while with the former even pocketing a fifty in the process. The game was India’s, nonetheless.
