"Wanted to win this series at any cost" - Harmanpreet Kaur on India beating New Zealand in ODIs after poor show in 2024 Women's T20 World Cup
India captain Harmanpreet Kaur stated that the team was desperate to win the ODI series against New Zealand at home after failing to make an impact in the 2024 Women's T20 World Cup. The Women in Blue failed to qualify for the semifinals of the ICC event in the UAE, going down to New Zealand and Australia in the group stage.
On Tuesday, October 29, India beat New Zealand by six wickets in the third ODI at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad to clinch the three-match series 2-1. Bowling first after losing the toss, the hosts held the Kiwis to 232 and then chased down the total in 44.2 overs.
Speaking after the game, Indian captain Harmanpreet emphasized the significance of the triumph in the wake of what transpired in the T20 World Cup. She said (as quoted by news agency PTI):
"It was important for us as we wanted to win this series at any cost. As I said in the morning, we discussed a lot of things and really happy we could execute today. Whenever we play, we always want to give our 100% but sometimes things don't go your way."
"As a professional cricketer you have to keep pushing yourself and keep going. We discussed these things in the team meeting so really happy we could come back after that loss in the last game," Harmanpreet added.
India began their 2024 Women's T20 World Cup campaign with a 58-run loss to New Zealand. They beat Pakistan by six wickets and Sri Lanka by 82 runs but went down to Australia by nine runs in a close game.
"She was struggling early on but she managed to get runs" - Harmanpreet praises Smriti Mandhana
Smriti Mandhana came in for a lot of criticism over her below-par showing in the T20 World Cup. On Tuesday, she was the Player of the Match against New Zealand. The elegant opener notched up her eighth ODI hundred as India eased home in a chase of 233.
Praising her effort, Harmanpreet said:
"Would like to give credit to Smriti, she was struggling early on but she managed to get runs. Really happy about our partnership."
Mandhana hit 10 fours in her 100 off 122 balls and featured in a 117-run stand for the third wicket with the Indian captain, who contributed an unbeaten 59 off 63 balls. Earlier, off-spinner Deepti Sharma starred with the ball, claiming 3-39, while young leg-spinner Priya Mishra impressed with 2-41.