Harmanpreet Kaur led from the front with a brilliant 69-run knock to help India secure a four-wicket victory via the DLS method over New Zealand in their second and final Women’s World Cup warm-up match in Bengaluru on Saturday. India will now face tournament co-hosts Sri Lanka in their opening match on September 30.
In a 42-overs-per-side contest affected by rain and delays due to a wet outfield, India bounced back from their heavy loss to England in the first warm-up, outplaying the Kiwis in all departments. Chasing a revised target of 237 after New Zealand posted 232 for eight, India never looked under pressure and reached the target with 10 balls and four wickets to spare.
Harmanpreet Kaur played a fluent innings, striking eight fours off 86 balls. She put on a commanding 132-run partnership for the third wicket with Harleen Deol, who once again played a crucial role in the middle order, scoring 74 off 79 balls with 10 boundaries before retiring out. The platform had been laid by openers Uma Chetry (38) and Pratika Rawal (15), who added 54 for the first wicket and ensured India began the chase on the front foot.
New Zealand had a promising start with skipper Sophie Devine scoring a run-a-ball 54, hitting nine boundaries, while Maddy Green struck a quick 49 not out to push the Kiwis to 232 for eight in the rain-truncated contest. Pacer Kranti Goud made an early impact, removing both openers inside the first eight overs, but a 91-run partnership between Devine and Amelia Kerr (40) helped New Zealand stabilise their innings. Both Devine and Kerr fell in quick succession, leaving Green and Isabella Gaze (21 not out) to contribute in the final overs.
Shree Charani was the standout bowler for India, finishing with three wickets for 49 runs, while Kranti Goud and Arundhati Reddy picked up two wickets each. New Zealand’s fielding lapses, including a couple of crucial drops by Eden Carson at point, allowed the Indian batters to settle and control the required run rate. After Harleen retired out, India briefly lost wickets in quick succession, but Amanjot Kaur and Deepti Sharma guided the chase to a comfortable finish with 10 balls remaining.
Brief scores: New Zealand Women 232/8 in 42 overs (Amelia Kerr 40, Sophie Devine 54, Maddy Green 49 not out; Shree Charani 3/53)
India Women 237/6 in 40.2 overs (Uma Chetry 38, Harleen Deol 74 retired out, Harmanpreet Kaur 69; Bree Illing 2/34)
– Ends