The Indians should have reached closer to 300 or cross it. The Indian women went down in the 2nd ODI to New Zealand women with an over to spare. It does seem like a close game; and it was a close match too.
But whoever saw the match in the wee hours of the Indian morning may agree that it was a kiwi game. The way Amelia Kerr constructed the chase after her 3 senior batters were back in the pavilion, it seemed very early that she will look to bat through and carry others along. The brilliant, elegant stroke play of the young 21 year old Amelia reminded again that this is a game of touch and class with simple and effective strokes.
India was without the services of their senior bowler Jhulan Goswami. Simran Bahadur was given an opportunity. On debut she got the chance to bowl pretty late and seemed a touch nervous too. The reliance was back on the spinners and they did not disappoint. Rajeshwari, Poonam and Deepti bagged 6 wickets between.
There might be a couple of changes for India in the 3rd ODI. Renuka Singh/ Meghana Singh might get a game and Smriti Mandhana. The time is too short for Smriti as with just a day’s hit in the nets will need to be match ready. S.Meghana who showed a lot of good positive intent in her 49 might have to make way for Smriti. Meghana played her part well and that’s what this series will provide her with- the perfect exposure. The opening partnership of 61 with Shafali where Meghana was the aggressor is the style she will look to incorporate in her skill set.
All 6 matches (3 done including T20 and 3 ODI’s to go) are being played at the same venue in Queenstown. The ground apart from being scenic provides good batting conditions too. With a 100 plus 5th wicket partnership and the way the chase went, 270 seemed a below par score. Richa Ghosh scored at a run a ball pace partnering Mithai Raj. Pooja Vastrakar and Deepti Sharma hardly got to bat. In the middle overs with that kind of acceleration achieved; the Indian team could have pressed the pedal a bit earlier to go ahead of the set total. Not that it was a bad total set but it didn’t turn out to be enough.
As this series progresses; the thought process will need to become more flexible. If 300 can be reached, the planning and initiation must be put into action at the earliest. Yes, the women’s game does not see 300 plus scores regularly; but that might have been a thing of the past now. The game is evolving and so are the players. The quicker the teams adapt to good batting conditions; one will be able to start the race with a healthy advantage.
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