Confused. That’s how the India women’s cricket team looked against New Zealand in Dubai. They were outdone by the White Ferns in all three departments, and that too not by a small margin. Dropped catches, misfields, and missed run-out chances—it was mistakes galore by Harmanpreet Kaur and co. Such was the dominance that the Indian captain labeled it a learning experience.
“We didn’t play our best cricket. Going forward, we know every game is important. We created chances, but we were not able to avail those chances. They played better cricket than us, no doubt about that. We made some mistakes while fielding, so that is a learning experience for us going forward. We have chased many times 160-170; we were expecting that on the board. While batting, we knew someone had to bat through, but we kept losing wickets,” Harmanpreet Kaur said in the post-match interview.
On India vs Pakistan match
A lot hinged on this clash. Placed alongside Australia in Group A of the Women’s T20 World Cup 2024, New Zealand and India were likely to wrestle for the second semifinal spot. But, now that Team India has suffered a massive 58-run loss, the path to final four seems afar.
To keep themselves in the reckoning, Harmanpreet Kaur and co. need to beat Pakistan. Asked about what she feels about the high-octane clash against their arch-rivals on October 6, the Indian captain said, “We know this group is capable of better; this wasn’t the start we were expecting, but we have to go from here.”
