Published By: Sayan Guha

ICC Women’s World T20: INDW vs. NZW: India's Struggles Against New Zealand Women in the Last 5 T20Is: What Went Wrong

As the 2024 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup kicks off in the UAE, all eyes are on the Indian team as they start their journey against New Zealand on 4th October 2024 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium at 7:30 PM IST. India is placed in a challenging Group A, along with defending champions Australia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and New Zealand.

The last five encounters between India and New Zealand haven’t been kind to India, with most matches slipping away due to critical moments lost in execution. So, what went wrong, and more importantly, what can India do to turn things around this time?

Let’s dive into the last five matches between these two teams and understand the numbers behind the heartbreaks.

New Zealand won by 18 runs, Queenstown – 9th February, 2022

New Zealand Women: 155/5 (Suzie Bates 36, Sophie Devine 31, Lea Tahuhu 27 off 14 balls)

India Women: 137/8 (S Meghana 37, R Bhatia 26)

Key issue for India: A collapse after a steady start. In their chase, India lost five wickets for just 35 runs. Despite a strong performance from the spin department (Pooja Vastrakar 2-16, Deepti Sharma 2-26), the Indian batters couldn’t capitalize.

Turning Point: Lea Tahuhu’s impact with both bat and ball and a surprise promotion to No. 5 gave New Zealand the edge.

India won by 4 runs – ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, Melbourne – 27th February, 2020

India Women: 133/8 (Shafali Verma 46, Kerr 2/21, Mair 2/27)

New Zealand Women: 129/6 (Amelia Kerr 34*)

Key issue for New Zealand: Dropped catches. India capitalized on fielding errors.

India’s strength:Shafali Verma’s explosive start and India’s controlled spin bowling made the difference. Despite some late hitting from New Zealand, India kept their nerve, with Shikha Pandey defending the total in the final overs.

New Zealand won by 2 runs– 10th February, 2019, Hamilton

New Zealand Women: 161/7 (Sophie Devine 72, Satterthwaite 31, Deepti Sharma 2/28)

India Women: 159/4 (Smriti Mandhana 86, Mithali Raj 24*)

Key issue for India: Despite Mandhana’s brilliant 86 off 62, India needed 16 off the final over and fell short. New Zealand held their nerve in a tense finish.

Turning point: Sophie Devine’s all-round performance (72 runs and 2/21) was too much for India to overcome, even though they came agonizingly close.

New Zealand won by 4 wickets– 8th February, 2019, Auckland

India Women: 135/6 (Jemimah Rodrigues 72, Smriti Mandhana 36)

New Zealand Women: 136/6 (Suzie Bates 62, Reddy 2/22, Radha Yadav 2/23)

Key issue for India: Missed fielding opportunities. Despite a competitive total, India’s fielding lapses, particularly by the wicketkeeper, allowed New Zealand to sneak in a last-ball win.

Turning point: Suzie Bates’ steady knock of 62 and crucial partnerships with Satterthwaite helped New Zealand chase down the target in a nail-biter.

New Zealand won by 23 runs– 6th February, 2019, Wellington

New Zealand Women: 159/4 (Sophie Devine 62, Satterthwaite 33, Deepti Sharma 1/19)

India Women: 136 all out (Smriti Mandhana 58, Jemimah Rodrigues 39, Lea Tahuhu 3/20)

Key Issue for India: A collapse from a strong position. Mandhana and Rodrigues gave India a solid start with a 98-run stand, but they lost nine wickets for just 34 runs, crumbling under pressure in the chase.

Turning point: Substitute fielder Hannah Rowe’s stunning catch off Amelia Kerr’s bowling sparked India’s collapse, giving New Zealand the upper hand.

What needs to change for India?

Batting depth: One of the most glaring issues for India in these matches has been the lack of middle-order consistency. India’s top order, especially Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma, have done the bulk of the scoring, but they need more support from the middle order against the Kiwis. Someone like Jemimah Rodrigues or Harmanpreet Kaur must anchor the innings and play through the 20 overs.

Fielding discipline: Fielding errors have haunted India, costing them close matches against NZ. Tightening up on catches and overall fielding could be the difference between victory and defeat.

Death bowling: India’s inability to close out games in the final overs has been a recurring theme. More focused death bowling from Shikha Pandey and Deepti Sharma will be crucial to stop New Zealand’s late surge.