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India's Women's T20WC semifinal chances takes major hit after New Zealand hammering: What Harmapreet and Co. need to do
India as good as knocked out after incurring a 58-run loss against New Zealand in their Women's T20 World Cup opener
Despite their overwhelming 9-4 record against India in T20Is, New Zealand weren't the favourites in their Women's T20 World Cup opener on Friday in Dubai, given their forgettable streak of 10 straight losses heading into the match. However, the Sophie Devine-led side ended their streak after hammering India, a title contender, by 58 runs. While the victory handed New Zealand a sigh of relief in the group of death, India have been left in a precarious spot over their semifinal chances.
Captain Harmanpreet Kaur hailed the current Indian side as their best T20I team and was rather confident of ending the nation's long-standing world-title drought in women's cricket. However, India never turned up for the contest, neither with the bat, nor with the ball.
New Zealand were on the money from ball one, after opting to bat first in Dubai. The openers got the team off to an aggressive start, before captain Devine carried the momentum in the slog overs with her unbeaten knock of 57 which helped New Zealand set a 161-run target.
The India batters then looked clueless against the New Zealand attack as none of the batters fired , with the Women in Blue barely managing to cross the 100-run mark. They were eventually folded for just 102 with an over to spare as the White Ferns scripted an emphatic 58-run win against India.
India as good as knocked out
India found themselves in the group of death in the Women's T20 World Cup, alongside defending champions Australia, arch-rivals Pakistan, New Zealand and reigning Asian champions Sri Lanka. While India will fancy their chances against Pakistan, against whom they have lost just twice in T20 World Cup history, last being in 2016, and thrice overall in 15 encounters, and against Sri Lanka, despite their recent loss against the side in the Women's Asia Cup final in July, having lost just once in World Cup history, Australia and New Zealand were their only threats.
With New Zealand heading into the World Cup on the back of a poor run of show, India did look to try their luck, but were outperformed in all departments, en route to a heavy loss. Hence, if India do manage to defeat Pakistan and Sri Lanka in their Group A encounters, it only leaves Australia standing between them and a semifinal qualification.
India have beaten Australia just twice in six T20 World Cup meetings, and seven times in all 33 T20I matches.
What Harmanpreet Kaur and Co. need to do?
Not only do India have to Pakistan and Sri Lanka by heavy margins, given that their net run rate now stands −2.632 after the loss against New Zealand, they will have to try their luck against the defending champions, whom they last beat in a T20 World Cup match in 2020.
