New Zealand target whitewash as India look for morale boost ahead of World Cup

OVERVIEW

New Zealand v India, Fifth ODI
John Davies Oval, Queenstown
24 February, 11:00 Local

India are yet to register a win on their tour of New Zealand, having lost the one-off T20I and four of the five ODIs, ahead of the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2022. And the tourists will be hoping for a turnaround in the final ODI as they target a much-needed confidence-boosting victory ahead of the marquee tournament in New Zealand.

The tourists have struggled to settle on their best line-up due to a combination of Covid-19 cases and injuries in the camp. The inconsistent performances of the batters in the middle-order have been a particular concern for India where, apart from Richa Ghosh and Mithali Raj, none of the batters have produced an innings of note.

With Smriti Mandhana back in the XI for the fourth ODI, the visitors chose to drop Sabbhineni Meghana, whose form in the series had been a rare positive for India. Going into the final ODI, it will be crucial for India to figure out their best combination against the in-form White Ferns.

In the bowling department, India have struggled to pick up wickets in the middle overs. Despite getting good starts, the Indian spinners have struggled to execute their plans and have failed to pull things back.

In contrast, the hosts have been phenomenal with both bat and bowl, using their home conditions pretty well to outperform India in the entire series. Amelia Kerr, who made a massive jump in the MRF Tyres ICC Women's ODI Rankings for all-rounders recently, has been excellent in all departments and the hosts would look forward to another notable performance from the young superstar.

New Zealand have been able to find plenty of positives from the series, testing their bench strength and also finding players who can stand up in crucial pressure situations.

Remember the last time

New Zealand emerged victorious in the fourth T20I after beating India by 63 runs, taking a 4-0 lead in the series. The rain-hit match became a 20-overs-per-side affair, and after winning the toss the Indian skipper asked the hosts to bat first. New Zealand's top order produced some fine performances, as Sophie Devine’s 24-ball 32 and Suzie Bate's 26-ball 41 helped New Zealand get off a solid start. This was followed by a sparkling knock of 68* from 33 balls from Amelia Kerr and 32 off 16 balls from Amy Satterthwaite as New Zealand managed to put 191/5 on the scoreboard

Chasing the total, India were four down for 19 runs inside the Powerplay. Ghosh and captain Raj steadied the ship with a partnership of 77 runs, before Richa’s brilliant knock of 52 off 29 deliveries gave her side a glimmer hope, only for that to be snuffed out when she hit one high in the air straight into the hands of Amelia at deep mid-wicket. From there, New Zealand seized the opportunity and dominated the visitors, restricting them to 128 all out in 17.5 overs, and winning the match by 63 runs.

What they said

Sophie Devine: “It was another complete performance from us. With the bat, we showed real intent. Good experience (shortened game) with the World Cup coming up. It was a great opportunity for us. The batters played to their strengths. 191 was probably above-par. The fielding is an area where we've missed a few, that's an area where we can probably save another 10-15 runs. With the bowling, at times, we have been slow to change our plans. We have to adapt quicker. I had belief in this group forever, nice to see people are seeing that. We are seeing the results now, there's real confidence and belief. It's perfect timing with the World Cup just around the corner.”

Mithali Raj: “We have definitely been trying few compositions with our spin and seam attack. But to be honest the bowling is a bit of a concern before the World Cup. We want all our main bowlers to get their rhythm. We are adapting to the conditions but there are spells where the bowlers have bowled well but we are not consistent and it is something that we are looking to improve. I was just looking at the shots and the way she (Richa) went about her batting, she is very talented and the future for India.”