India captain Harmanpreet Kaur lost the toss and was asked to field first by New Zealand in Dubai on Friday (October 4, 2024) in their ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2024 Group A fixture. This is the tournament opener for both sides and is crucial in the semi-final scheme of things, given the presence of Australia in the group. (Match Blog | Streaming | More Cricket News)
Playing XIs
India Women: Shafali Verma, Smriti Mandhana, Harmanpreet Kaur(c), Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh(w), Deepti Sharma, Arundhati Reddy, Pooja Vastrakar, Shreyanka Patil, Asha Sobhana, Renuka Thakur Singh.
New Zealand Women: Suzie Bates, Georgia Plimmer, Amelia Kerr, Sophie Devine(c), Brooke Halliday, Maddy Green, Isabella Gaze(w), Jess Kerr, Rosemary Mair, Lea Tahuhu, Eden Carson.
Upon losing the toss, Harmanpreet said: "We just want to go out there and play good cricket. All the players back themselves. It's the best team and the best team we have in this format. We have a balanced side. We have a long batting line-up as well. It's all about going out there and enjoying ourselves."
Her opposite number Sophie Devine said: "I've been really happy about the way the team's gone about its business. Results haven't gone our way but we're always learning. Looking to put our best foot forward in this one. It's going to be slower, there's still runs in it. Still opportunity to be attacking.
India have won four of their last five T20 international encounters, with the only loss coming in the Asia Cup final against Sri Lanka. New Zealand, on the other hand, are in a rut and have lost 10 back-to-back games. They need a win tonight to regain their confidence but it won't be easy against a power-packed Indian side.
