India Women vs New Zealand Women, 24th Match - Live Cricket Score, Commentary

India have qualified and will finish fourth in the league stages. They'll take on the first-placed team in the semis and that's going to be decided in two days when Australia take on South Africa. New Zealand were unlucky to have a couple of their matches washed out. Things could've been different. That's it for now. This is Sagar Chawla signing off on behalf of Mukesh and Akshay Maanay. Goodbye!

Harmanpreet Kaur: It wasn't easy. But credit to our team, the way we fought today. Because we knew how important this match was and the way we were charged up, really happy with the way we played. We were getting starts but unfortunately we were not able to make it big. Credit goes to Smriti and Pratika. They took the responsibility and played crucial knocks for the team. We got a very good start when they both scored 200 runs. That time we decided it's me or Jemi because she's someone who likes to run from the start and I think the way she batted, that was something the entire world was expecting from her. And I'm really happy the way she played. Whenever you're playing at home, everyone expects a lot from you. Be it on the TV, we always are discussing that this is our home and the crowd is always cheering for us. And this is the moment to enjoy. Other than just taking the pressure and that's what we spoke about in the last two days. I know a lot of things didn't go our way but today was the day. And I'm really happy with the way we executed ourselves. Everyone in the team stood up and the way we were lifting each other, that was something (after the three losses). That really showed how positive we were. Even though last 3 games didn't go well, we knew that this is not something which we are expecting and we are going to change this, today was the right time. I'm really happy the way we all did it together. I think we have been doing really well while batting but bowling is something which I personally feel we have to put ourselves really strong and we have one more game where we can cross that thing also. And hopefully, as a bowling unit also, we will come together and try to show a better way.

Sophie Devine: We're incredibly disappointed and gutted, not just for ourselves, but our family, our friends, the people that have supported us. It's been a bloody frustrating tournament, to be honest with you. I think we would have loved more opportunities to play. We would have loved more opportunities with the bat. Full credit to India today. 320 was just too big for us, but the way that Izzy Gaze, Brooke Halliday batted, so proud of the way they continued to fight and scrap. I thought we were outstanding in the power play. I thought we contained them well. We stayed on the stumps. It was an absolute belter of a wicket. So I think 300-320 was probably on par, but it's difficult when you don't take wickets then opposition teams can really go hard at you and be really expensive, we probably just struggled a little bit. I thought our fielding was outstanding. Yes, we dropped a couple of catches, but our groundwork was really impressive. It's hard when they have a partnership like that to be able to stay in it. And I thought the girls did that really well. I think sometimes it's easy to drift away when they're able to put a partnership like that together but today wasn't our day. They (Halliday and Gaze) did a magnificent job. I think that's (their future) something that's really exciting. The way that those two players in particular have just continued to grow over the last 18-24 months. That's something that I'm really excited to see from the sidelines is where they can continue to go. Their ability to play all around the ground. I think Brooke's been exceptional this tournament. Her ability to stay calm and play different types of innings, depending on the conditions. That's something that's a really special talent to be able to manage that. There's plenty of positives to look forward to, it's just unfortunate that this is the end of our tournament. She's (Tahuhu) been huge. Probably not the way that she would have liked to have played this game (her 200th international) and the result that she would have wanted. She's been monumental in terms of what she's been able to give to New Zealand cricket. I don't know how she's held together with duct tape and whatever else to hold all her limbs together. The fact that she just keeps putting out is a full credit to her and the support that she's got behind her. She's been great this tournament. Obviously, it wasn't her day today but that's the nature of cricket, isn't it? I'm really proud and I'm sure we'll celebrate with her later on. I know it wasn't the result, but it's still important that we acknowledge her contribution. I've probably said it within the changing room that for me, it's just how we play the game, even if we lose, if we go out playing the way that I know that we can, I can be really proud and hold my head high, that's what New Zealand cricket is about. It's about how we play the game, not just in the spirit, but back our strengths. Fighting up against these big nations here, they have got 1.4 billion people, we've got 5 million. To think about how much we punch above our weight, that's just how I want to go out. Every game that you get to play for New Zealand is a huge honour. Yes, we can't progress through this tournament, but we're going to give those Poms a good run for their money.

Most POTM awards in Women’s ODIs
28 - Stafanie Taylor
20 - Mithali Raj
18 - Smriti Mandhana
17 -Charlotte Edwards
17 - Ellyse Perry

IND-W vs NZ-W in ODIs
In India: 24 matches, 13 wins to India, 10 to NZ, 1 tied
Elsewhere: 34 matches, 10 wins to India, 24 to NZ

India’s wins over NZ in Women’s ODI WC
By 40 runs, Potchefstroom, 2005
By 186 runs, Derby, 2017
By 53 runs (DLS), Mumbai DYP, 2025

- India’s best in World Cups came in those two editions (2005, 2017): runners-up in both.

- Of the other 11 head-to-head WC contests, India lost 10 while one ended in a tie.

-- Isabella Gaze (65*) is the second NZ-W batter to register a 50-plus score from No.7 or lower in World Cups, after Nicola Browne (51*) vs SA-W (Bowral, 2009).

600-plus match aggregates in Women’s WC
678 - ENG-W vs SA-W, Bristol, 2017
661 - IND-W vs AUS-W, Visakhapatnam, 2025
641 - AUS-W vs ENG-W, Christchurch, 2022 Final
611 - IND-W vs NZ-W, Mumbai DYP, 2025
608 - AUS-W vs ENG-W, Hamilton, 2022

-- India’s first win over a SENA team in Women’s World Cup post their 2017 semi-final triumph over Australia in Derby. They lost eight on the bounce thereafter, including three in this WC.

Smriti Mandhana | Player of the Match: Big relief in terms of qualifying for the knockouts. The last three games were really tough. We thought we played some good cricket, but we could not end up winning. We are very relieved today. I think Pratika deserves this (the award) as much as I do. So, I'm a little surprised with this. I like pace more than spin. I like to dominate pace. But it was an important game too, in the first 3-4 overs there were nerves trying to give a good start, but I saw the scoreboard and we were like 3 overs and 5 runs, I was like we can't do that. I just said, just back yourself and try to play the ball. The first three games did not go my way especially the second and the third one, after getting into 20s, I would like myself to play a longer innings but I was getting out, in the World Cup, you have to give a lot of things at first. You have to understand that if you're feeling good, you've come off a good form. You just need to keep practising and not complicating. So, that's the only thing which I kept telling myself. (About her opening partnership) We've been asked this question for the last eight odd months now. I don't think both of us can answer that aptly. But I just feel like we both are pretty similar people in terms of just doing the job. We don't talk a lot. In middle only, we discuss how many runs do we need to get and all of that stuff. Pretty similar games. Of course, she's a good anchor and really allows me to play my natural game. And when she gets going, I could chip into the anchor role. That thing really works. We understand that, when one person is going, so we can just rotate the strike.

New Zealand batters were always going to be up against it. There were some good knocks right through their innings from the likes of Amelia Kerr, Brooke Halliday and Isabelle Gaze. But the target they were chasing was huge and it needed something incredible for them to pose a challenge which didn't happen. That early spell of Renuka was crucial in putting a big dent to their chances as she took out a quick-scoring Georgia Plimmer and then the ripped through the defences of Sophie Devine - the wicket India would've wanted more than anyone.

23:25 Local Time, 17:55 GMT, 23:25 IST: Commendable performance from India. They were under pressure after three narrow losses in a row but have delivered the goods in a crucial game to qualify for the semis. Plenty of hugs between the Indian players to celebrate the occasion. It was all set up for them by that massive opening stand of 212 between Smriti Mandhana and Pratika Rawal. India were put into bat on a good pitch and the openers responded in style, following the template that has worked for them so far with Smriti going great guns and Pratika taking her time early on. Importantly, they went on to convert their starts into big scores, something that Indian batters hadn't done previously in the tournament with no one scoring a hundred. This time, they both scored hundreds to ensure that the total was going to be a big one. Jemimah Rodrigues, back into the team after being left out in the previous game, made a statement as well with a quickfire 76 at number three.

Deepti Sharma to Rosemary Mair, THATS OUT!! Caught!!