Hard work starts now as relieved India eye success in semis

There was a sense of relief from India's star players following their victory over New Zealand at the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup that confirmed their place in the knockout stages of the event.

India bounced back from three consecutive losses at the World Cup to defeat the White Ferns by 53 runs (DLS Method) in Navi Mumbai on Thursday, with a semi-final match-up against Australia or South Africa awaiting next week following a final group clash with Bangladesh.

Openers Smriti Mandhana and Pratika Rawal did the majority of the damage for India as they each scored a century in the victory, while recalled right-hander Jemimah Rodrigues contributed an unbeaten 76* for her side after being promoted to No.3 in the batting order.

It is the first time India have qualified for the semi-finals of the Women's World Cup since 2017 and Mandhana admitted a sense of relief to have finally booked their place in the final four.

"Big relief in terms of qualifying for the knockouts," Mandhana said after the match.

"The last three games were really tough and we thought we played some good cricket, but we could not end up winning.

"We are very relieved today."

India captain Harmanpreet Kaur echoed the sentiments of Mandhana and said the entire squad must take credit for qualifying for the semi-finals.

"It wasn't easy, but credit goes to the entire team and the way we fought today," she said after the match.

"We knew how important this match was and the way the team was charged up and really happy the way we played."

The rise of Rawal has been crucial in India's run to the semi-finals, with the right-hander currently the second leading run-scorer at the tournament behind teammate Mandhana.

Rawal said the key to their success at the top of the batting order was down to keeping things simple when at the crease and only communicating when required.

"The conversations are pretty simple," Rawal said.

"I mean, she lets me do what I do best and I don't interfere in whatever she does best.

"The whole conversation that happens when we are batting is the calculation part and how much to get in order to set up a big total.

"And when we are chasing, how to break down into how to fewer parts so that we can chase it easier.

"She's pretty good with calculations, and I like to chip in whatever she has to say to me. And. And I think it's both ways, so we like to keep it pretty simple."