New Zealand 259 for 9 (Devine 79, Bates 58, Radha 4-69) vs India
Radha Yadav was like a planet which could dive a few thousand miles into another's orbit, and catch everything. Deepti Sharma, meanwhile, suffered from grabbing even what came right into her hands. In all, Radha plucked two stunning catches - as well as a simple return take off her own bowling - while Deepti dropped three on a mixed day for India on the field.
As a result of all that, and half-centuries from Sophie Devine (79) and opening batter Suzie Bates (58), New Zealand went on to post 259 on a slow but flat pitch in Ahmedabad. Apart from those knocks by the two senior batters, there were crucial contributions from Georgia Plimmer (41) and Maddy Green (42), as New Zealand played out an innings broken up by play in four different quarters.
The first of those saw complete domination by their openers Bates and Plimmer. The two combined to thump 13 fours and a six in the first 15 overs, by which time New Zealand had steadily made their way to 87. During that period, the New Zealand openers relied mostly on timing and placement instead of power and force. But a flicked four by Bates next over off Saima Thakor was what stood out: she just waited for the ball to arrive at her pads, and gently guided it to the fine-leg boundary.
During that phase, Harmanpreet Kaur, back into the side after missing the first ODI due to a niggle, introduced spin in the sixth over. But that hardly affected New Zealand's momentum, even as Deepti Sharma dropped a catch off her own bowling to give Plimmer a life on 16 in the tenth over. As a result, Plimmer launched the debutant legspinner Priya Mishra for a six and four in her first over.
The breakthrough finally came when Radha took the first of her two great catches in the 16th over. Placed at midwicket, she moved swiftly to her right before diving full stretch to have Plimmer caught for 41 off Deepti. That started a run of 12 overs which saw New Zealand score only 34 runs, and lose three wickets. Bates went past fifty, but one of her drives down the ground deflected off Mishra's hands, and found Lauren Down short at the non-striker's end in the 21st over.
In the 27th, Radha had Bates caught and bowled for 58, but Devine stood firm at the other end. That started a period of play where New Zealand steadied themselves. In the next 17 overs, they scored 84, and lost only one wicket. Devine cut, flicked and pulled for boundaries, but in the 32nd over, Radha stunned New Zealand with her fielding effort again. Now placed at extra cover, she sprinted and dived full stretch to have Brooke Halliday for 8.
But Devine and Green ensured India didn't run away with the game. They kept ticking along firmly, with Devine overturning an lbw decision against her when on 36. She got to her fifty off 65 balls in the 41st over, and set the base for a solid finish. The last six overs saw New Zealand pummel 55 runs, with Green driving, ramping and flicking Thakor for successive boundaries in the 45th over.
Radha had Green holing out to long-off next over, but boundaries from Jess Kerr and a six from Devine took New Zealand to 259. Radha ended with 4 for 69, included two wickets in the penultimate over.
