IND-W vs NZ-W Women's T20 World Cup Highlights: India lose to New Zealand by 58 runs in opener

It's all over. The final one falls and India lose this by 58 runs.

Another one departs and it might be the final nail in the coffin. Deepti has to go and India are now staring down a huge defeat.

India have a mountain to climb now. They need 75 from the last 6 overs. 

India have lost half their side as Richa Ghosh has gone now. Lea Tahuhu has gotten her second wicket as Richa Ghosh tried to clip it on the on side but ended up handing it straight to the fielder.

India - 70/5 (11 overs)

India are digging themselves deeper into the hole, Jemimah Rodrigues has chipped a Lea Tahuhu delivery straight into the hands of the mid-on fielder. This is getting really dreary for India.

India - 55/4 (9 overs)

Losing three wickets inside the powerplay can be catastrophic to any T20 innings and it might still be for India. Can Jemimah Rodrigues and Richa Ghosh stop it from getting even worse?

After Carson, it's Rosemary Mair's turn. Mair's incoming delivery rapped Harmanpreet Kaur on pads. The umpire gave it out as it looked very close. She reckoned that it was going down the leg, with the angle but on replay, it was umpire's call and the decision went in the White Ferns' favour. India have lost another one.

Eden Carson is running riot in Dubai as India have lost the big wicket of Smriti Mandhana. Mandhana tried to get over the long-off fielder but ended up hitting straight into the fielder's hands and India are in trouble now.

India - 34/2 (5 overs)

Eden Carson has struck early. The ball held up a bit and Shafali's bat turned early and handed a simple catch back to the bowler. India have lost an early wicket.

India need a good start from Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma. It is a tricky total and India need their openers to play long and fast.

It will be a daunting chase for India, who are playing with just five pure batters, however, the batting goes up to 8-9 and the Women in Blue will hope to chase the target, which is a stiff one. They need a very good start.

A special special knock from skipper Sophie Devine, when her side needed the most. Devine completes her fifty off just 33 balls and she is taking White Ferns to a very strong total on a surface, which is turning just a bit.

India desperately needed a wicket and Renuka Singh Thakur has broken the partnership, gets Brooke Halliday to go for a lofted shot but miscued it straight into the hands of the covers fielder. New Zealand lose their fourth.

New Zealand - 149/4 (19 overs)

A couple of fours off Renuka and then Halliday smashing a couple of boundaries in Deepti Sharma's over have kept the White Ferns on course of a score close to 160, if not that.

India have done well in the middle phase and have brought New Zealand down in the recent overs. The White Ferns are at 123/3 after 17 overs and would look to keep them under 150

Amelia Kerr just got the lifeline in the last over. Despite being short of her crease and getting run-out, she could not make much of this. She is caught at covers. In the previous over, when the two batters looked for a second run, Kerr was run-out. But the umpires believed the over was done and the ball wad dead by then.

Sophie Devine, the skipper, is the key for the New Zealand team now. She should bat the complete innings for the White Ferns to get to 160

India have started to pull things back. The last four overs have gone for 17 runs and have brought two wickets. The boundaries have dried up a bit. India back into it.

And India have the second too. They send back the second opener - Georgia Plimmer - too. Asha Sobhana with the wicket. The batter charged down the track but could not get the middle of the bat. Mandhana, placed at long-on, took a good running catch. That's what the doctor ordered for India!

And finally, India get a wicket. No mistake on the field this time. Bates backed away to clear the mid-wicket but could not find the meat of the bat. Shreyanka does well at deep mid-wicket to take this one safely.

Richa Ghosh drops a high aerial and New Zealand bring up their fifty with this. A few balls ago, Renuka committed a midfield and let a boundary go and now this drop. It wasn't the easiest in the lights but she should have got this. NZ 55/0 after 6

India are under the pump here. Now Plimmer is taking it on now. 16 runs from Deepti's over and Renuka has been hit for a four too.

Suzie Bates is showing what experience can do. She has struck Vastrakar for two fours in the first over and is looking to keep the pressure on the Indians in the early exchanges. Let's see how will India respond to this?

The players stride out in the middle. The two New Zealand openers - Suzie Bates and Georgia Plimmer are on the crease. Pooja Vastrakar has the new ball in her hand and will begin the proceedings. One slip, third man is out. Here we go!!

The players are out on the ground for the anthems. New Zealand's anthem first followed by India's.

"It has cooled down slightly, breeze flowing across the ground might mean dew might not come in. 63m and 53m square boundaries, 73m down the ground. This is firm, lot of live grass. Should be moderate pace and bounce. There could be some spin later but if there's dew, that probably won't happen as well," Nasser Hussain and WV Raman say in their pitch report.

India go with three pacers and three specialist spinners along with Harmanpreet's all-round abilities. New Zealand go with three seamers apart from Devine and two spin-options. 

India Women (Playing XI): Shafali Verma, Smriti Mandhana, Harmanpreet Kaur(c), Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh(w), Deepti Sharma, Arundhati Reddy, Pooja Vastrakar, Shreyanka Patil, Asha Sobhana, Renuka Thakur Singh

New Zealand Women (Playing XI): Suzie Bates, Georgia Plimmer, Amelia Kerr, Sophie Devine(c), Brooke Halliday, Maddy Green, Isabella Gaze(w), Jess Kerr, Rosemary Mair, Lea Tahuhu, Eden Carson

We just want to go out there and play good cricket. All the players back themselves. It's the best team and the best team we have in this format. We have a balanced side. We have a long batting line-up as well. It's all about going out there and enjoying ourselves.

We're going to bat first. I've been really happy about the way the team's gone about it's business. Results haven't gone our way but we're always learnig. Looking to put our best foot forward in this one. It's going to be slower, there's still runs in it. Still opportunity to be attacking.

New Zealand have won the toss and have asked India to bowl first. 

We are moments away from the toss. 

India and New Zealand have faced each other 13 times. India won 4 and New Zealand have won 9 of them.

India had a big question to answer of who will be playing at No.3 after Jemimah Rodrigues was brought down to No.5 earlier in April. Head coach Amol Muzumdar has answered this ahead of the opener. he confirmed captain Harmanpreet Kaur will take up the role.

India's dream of lifting a World Cup takes them to UAE. Harmanpreet Kaur and Co. head into the Women's T20 World Cup 2024 as one of the favourites. But they have been used to this tag for quite some time now but are not able to clear the final hurdle. Will this be the time, India take home the ultimate glory? We shall find that out on October 20. But first thing first, India have New Zealand to face in their first game in Group A.