New Zealand routed India in the third and final ICC Women’s Championship ODI by a massive eight wickets in Hamilton on Friday, earning a consolation victory after having lost the series 2-1.
Chasing a target of 150, opener Suzie Bates (57) and skipper Amy Satterthwaite (66*) put a solid second wicket 84-run partnership. The Kiwis took just 29.2 overs in their innings to reach to the victory.
Put in to bat after Satterthwaite won the toss, India couldn’t progress to score runs as the wickets kept falling at regular intervals. Eventually, the whole batting lineup collapsed on 149 in 44 overs.
Deepti Sharma’s 52 was the highest total for the visitors, Harmanpreet Kaur gave a gritty 24 runs off 40 balls. India captain Mithali Raj, who made her 200th ODI appearance, and half of the team failed to reach double figure.
Anna Peterson claimed a four-wicket haul to help her team knock down India’s terrible batting performance at Seddon Park. She took the crucial wickets of opener Smriti Mandhana (1), Sharma, Harmanpreet Kaur (24), and Harmanpreet Kaur (8).
Fast bowler Lea Tahuhu, who claimed three wickets, delivered a terrific performance to put India to a slugfest contest.
The two teams will now play a three-match T20I series starting from February 6 in Wellington.
