Do or die for India as New Zealand eye series win

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Overview

New Zealand v India, third ODI
John Davies Oval, Queenstown
18 February, 11:00 Local

India need a major boost ahead of the upcoming ICC Women's Cricket World Cup, which is just a little over two weeks away. That boost could come in form of Smriti Mandhana, Renuka Singh and Meghana Singh, who are out of extended quarantine. With two losses in two ODIs, this will be their final chance to stay alive in the five-match series.

More importantly, the World Cup is just around the corner, and India will need to get a few wins under the belt before the big event. To that end, there are encouraging signs. They lost the first ODI comprehensively, but there was a definite improvement in the second, with the batting firing.

Captain Mithali Raj has continued her consistent run of form, but lack of runs from vice-captain Harmanpreet Kaur has been a cause of concern for a while. Kaur has hit only one fifty in the last two years.

With no word yet on Richa Ghosh's ankle injury, Taniya Bhatia will take up wicket-keeping duties. However, Ghosh's absence will weaken the batting unit further.

Bowling wise, India have struggled to pick up wickets in the middle overs. With Renuka Singh and Meghana Singh back in the mix, and the veteran Jhulan Goswami available for selection, India have plenty of options to choose from.

The hosts, on the other hand, have done everything right so far. Amelia Kerr looks well-settled at No.3, Lea Tahuhu has got a promotion up the order, and their batting looks strong and assured.

Jess Kerr has impressed with the new ball, and has been well-supported by rest of the attack. With their batting doing half the job, the bowling attack's major contribution has been to contain the run-flow and take crucial wickets, which they have done admirably.

Remember the last time

After opting to bat, India put up a competitive 270/6 on the board, with gritty knocks from Meghana (49), Raj (66) and Ghosh (65). After a good start, most of their innings was driven by a solid century-stand between Raj and Ghosh. However, after Ghosh's wicket, India again slowed down, scoring only 27 runs in the last 4.1 overs.

In reply, the visiting bowlers began well, removing the New Zealand top three within the first nine overs. However, Amelia Kerr had other plans. She first rebuilt the innings with Maddy Green and then continued to push further adapting her playing style to suit the situation. Her unbeaten 119 off 135 balls, helped New Zealand win the second ODI in the 49th over, despite losing seven wickets.

What they said

Mithali Raj, India captain: "The team and I badly need the World Cup. Winning the World Cup is a dream for any cricketer. It is the factor that drives me."

Léa Tahuhu, New Zealand all-rounder: "Our batters are doing well, especially our top order, some really good partnerships and contributions from our key players. It's been great to sit back and watch the batters go about their work. If I can do a little bit more to help our team score with the bat, then I'm loving the opportunity to do that. I'm batting higher than I ever have before and I think my role is pretty clear to see."