SK Elite: Rajeshwari Gayakwad's match winning spell against New Zealand
The eleventh edition of the ICC Women's World Cup entered into the business end of the competition with the resurgent Indian team taking on the White Ferns in the final league match of this iconic tournament.
The game was termed as the virtual quarter finals wherein the winner will seal a spot in the semi finals of this prestigious event. And, with plenty at stake, the two formidable outfits locked horns on a rather gloomy day at the County Ground in Derby.
The possibility of showers in the later part of the day forced Suzie Bates, the skipper of the New Zealand team to field first after winning the toss. The move seemed to have worked wonderfully well as the two Indian openers, Smriti Mandhana and Punam Raut were back in the pavilion within the first eight overs.
With two crucial wickets and just over 20 runs on the board, the White Ferns were surely on top in the initial overs. However, a passing shower meant the play was halted for a few minutes which turned out to be a blessing in disguise for the Indian team as they received an opportunity to regroup and access their way forward in this must-win encounter.
The two of the most experienced batters in the Indian unit, Mithali Raj and Harmanpreet Kaur started rebuilding the innings. The duo notched up a crucial 132 run stand for the third wicket to lay down a stable platform for a middle order onslaught.
Riding on a scintillating hundred from the skipper and a cameo from Veda Krishnamurthy, the Indian eves posted a massive 265 runs for the loss of seven wickets in their stipulated quota of overs.
The run chase
The batting order of the White Ferns possessed some serious threats with plenty of hard hitting batters. However, little did they know, they would be up against one of the best left arm spinners in the country, Rajeshwari Gayakwad who was competing in her first match of this mega event.
The Indian opening bowling combination of Jhulan Goswami and Shikha Pandey provided the team with an ideal start as they rattled the opposition with two crucial wickets in the opening overs.
However, the White Ferns had tremendous depth in their batting department and with the likes of Amy Satterthwaite and Sophie Devine still battling it out, it was not an easy task for the young Indian team.
The dream spell
After warming the bench for the initial six games, Gayakwad was determined to grab this opportunity with both hands. With pressure being created after the loss of a couple of wickets up front, Mithali Raj turned to her spinners to dent the middle order.
A few sedate overs in the run chase and the constant pressure of the steeping run rate, Satterthwaite tried to fancy her chances against the left arm spinner. And, the first ball of the 17th over, analysing that the southpaw would try and attack her, Gayakwad bowled a straighter delivery, a touch wide outside the off stump. The ball completely deceived Satterthwaite, and Sushma Verma completed the rest, behind the wicket to give India a vital breakthrough.
The 26-year-old followed it up in her next over with a notable scalp of Sophie Devine to possibly seal the match for the Indian team. A full-length delivery on the off stump, Devine tried to heave it on the leg side, but unfortunately for her, it went straight into the hands of Deepti Sharma at the cover region.
With the Kiwis tottering at 57 runs for the loss of six wickets, it was hardly a matter of time before the Indian team wrapped up the proceedings and sailed through to the semi finals of this showpiece event.
The onus was once again on Gayakwad to polish off the tail, and she did not disappoint the team either. With three quick wickets of the lower order, the batting innings of the New Zealand team could barely manage to survive 25 overs in this clash after being bundled out for a partly score of 79 runs.
While the left arm spinner registered her best figures of five wickets for 15 runs in a One Day International match, the New Zealand team owing to a dismal performance with the bat recorded their lowest total in the history of World Cup.
A match-winning performance with the ball by Gayakwad ensured that the Indian eves stormed into the final four of the tournament on the back of an emphatic 186 run victory. Despite not winning the player of the match award, the youngster showcased her talent at the international arena.
It is never easy to come into the side and create havoc in the opposition batting unit but the Bijapur born player with grit and determination produced one of the best bowling spells in the World Cup. Her exploits in this game and her accuracy to constantly bowl at the stumps made her one of the players to watch out for in the knockout stage of the tournament.
Also Read: ICC Women’s World Cup 2017: India vs New Zealand, 5 things India did right to win the virtual quarter-final