To lessen the margin of defeat, the Radha-Thakor duo records India’s greatest partnership for the ninth wicket in ODIs.
India 183 (Radha 48, Devine 3-27, Tahuhu 3-42) lost to New Zealand 259 for 9 (Devine 79, Bates 58, Radha 4-69) by 76 runs.
On that particular day, Radha Yadav was able to do it all: take 4 for 69 with the ball, be India’s top scorer with 48 from No. 9, assist add 70 with Saima Thakor for the ninth wicket, and fly like a superwoman to make two incredible catches. In addition to being India’s best partnership for the ninth wicket in ODI cricket, it was also their best stand in Sunday’s 260-run chase against New Zealand.
Unfortunately for India, though, none of those performances were enough to keep them from losing. New Zealand advanced to the finals with a resounding 76-run victory, driven by an all-around performance by skipper Sophie Devine. In order to stay afloat and earn direct qualification for the ODI World Cup the following year, New Zealand also secured significant points in the Women’s Championship.
Devine ended a calm batting phase for her team with a score of 79, ultimately bringing New Zealand’s first-inning total to 259. She used the ball to score Jemimah Rodrigues and Harmanpreet Kaur, her opposing number. Despite showing tenacity late in the match, India’s chase was never on track after that brief stand and ended up falling far short.
Smriti Mandhana fell without scoring as India was 26 for 3 five overs into the chase. In the first over, she chipped Lea Tahuhu to point, and in the fourth over, Jess Kerr caught Shafali Verma in front for a fun 11. Tahuhu had wicketkeeper Isabella Gaze edge behind Yastika Bhatia in the next over. Gaze finished the day with four catches.
Before Radha and Thakor’s nine-wicket partnership of 70, Harmanpreet and Rodrigues’ 38-wicket partnership for the fourth wicket stood as India’s greatest partnership. The wheels came off at 77 for 5 in the 18th over, with Harmanpreet scoring the highest of any Indian top-seven batsman that evening with 24.
The half-centuries from Devine and Suzie Bates, however, made them a difficult target to pursue. Bates set the tone for New Zealand, whose innings could be divided into four separate parts, with a stand of 87 with Georgia Plimmer for the first wicket. Bates and Plimmer had the first one, hitting 13 fours and a six between them in the opening 15 overs.
However, Deepti Sharma dropped Plimmer in the tenth over, the first of the all-rounder’s three dropped catches on 16. Plimmer and Bates relied less on power and more on placement and timing. After missing the first ODI due to a niggle, Harmanpreet returned to the team and added spin in the sixth over, but it barely slowed down New Zealand’s pace.
When Radha made the first of her two outstanding catches in the 16th over, it was the turning point. After being put at midwicket, she quickly shifted to her right before diving full stretch to catch Plimmer off Deepti for 41. That sparked a 12-over stretch in which New Zealand managed just 34 runs at a cost of three wickets.
Bates reached fifty to begin the 19th over, but Deepti took her down at midwicket with the next ball, using her right hand to try to catch rather than both. However, two overs later, Bates’ drive down the ground caught Lauren Down short at the non-striker’s end after deflecting off debutant Priya Mishra’s hands.
Devine held firm at the other end after Radha had Bates caught and bowled for 58 in the 27th. After that, New Zealand began to steadie themselves during a play phase. They took just one wicket while scoring 84 runs in the next 17 overs. Devine pulled, flipped, and cut for boundaries, but Radha’s fielding once more astounded New Zealand in the 32nd over. She ran and dived full stretch while under more cover, catching Brooke Halliday for eight.
Despite Deepti dropping Green on six in the 34th over, Devine and Green made sure India didn’t blow the match away. Devine overturned a lbw judgement against her when she was on 36, but the two batters continued to grind. In the 41st over, she reached her fifty off 65 balls, setting the stage for a strong finish. Green drove, ramped, and flicked Thakor for consecutive boundaries in the 45th over as New Zealand hammered 55 runs in the final six overs.
After Radha had Green holing out to long-off for 42 in the following over, New Zealand reached 259 thanks to boundaries from Kerr and a six from Devine. That was more than sufficient.
