The New Zealand line-up stumbled again, but scrambled to a nervous three-wicket win and leveled the series with the help of a crucial fifth-wicket stand between Sophie Devine and Katie Perkins

The Report by Vishal Dikshit in Bangalore01-Jul-2015
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details2:39

Important for top order to click – Thirush Kamini

The New Zealand line-up stumbled again but scrambled to a nervous three-wicket win with the help of a fifth-wicket stand between Sophie Devine and Katie Perkins to level the series 1-1 in Bangalore. Chasing 164 after bowling India out again, New Zealand were 68 for 4, and then 132 for 7, before allrounder Leigh Kasperek played another unbeaten knock, only to take them through this time.New Zealand’s bowling led the way again, after India opted to bat, with another disciplined performance from Lea Tahuhu, Kasperek and three wickets from captain Suzie Bates. Had it not been for Thirush Kamini’s 61, India would have put up an even smaller total. New Zealand’s chase began smoothly when Rachel Priest and Amy Satterthwaite almost took them to 50, but it soon went off track. The India spinners did trouble them, picking up four of the seven wickets, but New Zealand survived all of that, and a lethal final spell fraught with yorkers from Jhulan Goswami to come back in the series.Satterthwaite joined Priest after Bates went for a leg-side heave and missed completely. The top order hardly scored early on as they were 13 for 1 after five overs, with ten of them coming in extras. While Satterthwaite continued to defend, Priest showed her intent with two smashing fours in the eighth over. However, left-arm spinner Rajeshwari Gayakwad, in her first over, struck twice in successive deliveries to have Priest caught at cover and Maddie Green lbw first ball, to dent the chase.Satterthwaite blocked the other end, and just when Devine had eased some nerves with a six, a direct hit from Mithali Raj resulted in Satterthwaite’s run out, to push them on the back foot again. Perkins and Devine then tackled several bowling changes with nudges, jabs and drives to settle in. India also paid the price of dropping Perkins on 20 in the 31st over with Ekta Bisht putting down an easy catch at mid-on.Bisht got rid of Perkins two overs later but the batsman had already scored 30, with three fours. New Zealand needed another 47 and Devine would have taken them through but some quick work from R Kalpana had her stumped, off Bisht again in her next over. Raj now resorted to her best bowler – Goswami – who deceived Kate Broadmore with a cutter to bring the equation to 32 required with three wickets in hand.Anna Peterson finally allayed all fears of Kasperek being left stranded again. As she was dropped by Kalpana three balls later, she made sure Kasperek, who never looked like playing only her second ODI, didn’t have to look elsewhere. In the 42nd over she unleashed a cover drive, a lofted-heave for six and a four to third man to collect 14 from Sneh Rana’s over to get the required runs to six, that virtually ended the chase.India’s top order fared much better today, led by left-handed opener Kamini, who came in for Veda Krishnamurthy. But middle and lower-order woes continued as they struggled to put on substantial partnerships. Despite 11 boundaries from Kamini, India were all out for the fourth time in a row batting first. Later, it was only Harmanpreet Kaur’s 31 that hauled them past 150.Kamini was not as comfortable initially, unable to rotate the strike. She gave two chances off Tahuhu in the fifth over, when one fell short of slips and the other went through Devine at second slip. Both of them fetched her fours, and probably some confidence.She got brief support from Raj after offspinner Kasperek accounted for Mandhana and Bates’ move of welcoming her counterpart with a short leg, short cover and slip eventually worked as she trapped her lbw for 13. But Kamini had settled in by now, looking at ease against the spinners. After two fours off Broadmore, she unsettled left-arm spinner Morna Nielsen with two fours in an over and a six over over wide long-on later on.Bates’ offcutters aimed at the stumps and Satterthwaite’s accurate line outside off then stalled the flow of runs; conceding only 14 runs in seven overs before Kamini brought up her second ODI fifty. But the innings never recovered when she suffered cramps and walked off after the 32nd over, with the score on 95 for 3. She did come back in the 42nd over, only to be caught behind after facing four more balls.Only Harmanpreet’s innings held the tail together briefly. She started cautiously, only to switch gears in the Powerplay. And once wickets started falling, she collected singles and scored 14 runs off her last 10 balls before being dismissed by Devine. Kasperek fearlessly tossed the ball up and was rewarded with Shikha Pandey’s wicket while Tahuhu trapped Poonam Raut and Goswami with offcutters. Once Harmanpreet was caught at cover in the 46th over, India could add only 13 more with Gayakwad’s run out ending the innings on 163.