Amelia Kerr claims four-fer in first WODI versus India
Fresh off their recent Women's T20 World Cup victory, New Zealand's spinners ran riot in the first women's ODI against India in Ahmedabad on Thursday. The Kiwi bowlers took seven out of 10 wickets, restricting India to a total of 227. Women's T20 World Cup 2024, Player of the Tournament, Amelia Kerr, led the charge with four wickets for just 42 runs. She was a leading force for the White Ferns.
Indian batters struggle before a 61-run stand
India's batting order failed to stitch meaningful partnerships on a not-so-challenging pitch. The team missed their regular captain Harmanpreet Kaur, and Smriti Mandhana, leading an ODI for the first time, was dismissed early in the innings. Shafali Verma looked promising but fell cheaply. After a string of low-scoring partnerships, Jemimah Rodrigues and debutant Tejal Hasabnis steadied the Indian innings. The duo displayed their skill against spin, maintaining the run flow. Their 61-run partnership off just 70 balls helped India.
Late rally by Sharma and Reddy falls short
Rodrigues was dismissed LBW after missing a clip off Suzie Bates, while Hasabnis was stumped on 42 after charging at a delivery from Kerr. Deepti Sharma and Arundhati Reddy then tried to keep the innings alive with their 37 off 47, but a total of 250 stayed out of India's reach. Deepti's knock of 41 was her highest ODI score since September 2022.
Kerr races to 95 WODI wickets
Kerr bowled nine overs and gave away 42 runs. She also bowled a maiden. The 24-year-old now owns 95 wickets in WODIs. She averages 29.81. This was her fifth four-wicket haul in WODIs. She also owns a fifer. As per ESPNcricinfo, in 11 matches versus India Women, she owns 17 wickets at 30.47. This was her maiden four-fer and best performance against India.
