Morale was quite low after India’s disappointing group stage exit in the recently concluded ICC Women’s T20 World Cup.
But the life of a professional cricketer moves fast. And before the Indians could sit and think about the tournament, along came the ODI series against who else but New Zealand.
The White Ferns had a remarkable T20 World Cup.
Going in on the back of ten consecutive T20I defeats, New Zealand, against all odds, went the distance. And when they landed in India, they did so on a high.
India, however, riding on the comfort of home soil, managed to find their feet.
And in winning the series 2-1 in a convincing manner, they have clearly kickstarted their 2025 ODI World Cup preparations on a positive note.
A look back at the ODI series
Barring a few changes, the Indian side was largely made up of the same players that endured a forgettable T20 World Cup.
Although skipper Harmanpreet Kaur missed the opening game, the Indians, thanks to the all round brilliance of Deepti Sharma, took the game to the White Ferns and won it comfortably.
New Zealand, not one to be run out, levelled the series with a good win in the second ODI.
In the decider, thanks to tight bowling, India managed to restrict New Zealand to 232, and in the chase, spearheaded by a sublime Smriti Mandhana century and an unbeaten 59 from Kaur, India cruised home, taking the match and series.
Deepti Sharma, India’s star with bat and ball
This series will be remembered for Deepti Sharma’s all round brilliance.
In the first ODI, she scored a handy 41 runs, propelling her team to victory.
And if that was not enough, she turned up with the ball in hand and produced a tidy spell of 1-35 in 9 overs.
She continued her fine bowling performance in the second ODI as well, finishing with 2-30 in 10 overs.
In the decider as well, Deepti stood tall with the ball once again, finishing with 3-39 in 10 overs and along the way, helped restrict the New Zealand batters to a below par score.
Deepti Sharma with the player of the series trophy. (Photo Credit: BCCI)
Deepti was rightly adjudged the player of the series for her brilliance with bat and ball, and she also climbed to the second spot in the latest ODI bowler’s rankings, her career-high in ODIs.
Deepti has become a very important part of the Indian team and with the ODI World Cup happening in India next year, her role will be crucial if India are to realise their long-awaited dream.
Radha Yadav, India’s missing piece?
One question that remained unanswered throughout India’s T20 World Cup campaign was the non inclusion of Radha Yadav in the playing XI.
The slow left arm spinner is a shrewd bowler and is India’s best fielder as well, and she showed just that in this series.
Having played all three games, Radha picked up seven wickets at a remarkable average of just 17.86, and took some breathtaking catches on the field.
She and Deepti make a formidable spin duo for India, and if India can find a way to include Asha Shobana into this mix, the trio have the ability to raise India’s ceiling by leaps and bounds in the bowling department.
Smriti back amongst the runs
While Shafali’s dry run continued from the T20 World Cup into the ODI series, Smriti finally came good with a scintillating 100 in the third ODI.
With that ton, she became the woman with the most 100s for India, surpassing former Indian captain Mithali Raj’s seven.
Harmanpreet too continued to do well with the bat, and stitched a valuable 100+ run partnership with her vice captain in the series decider to guide India home.
What next for Team India
The Indian women’s team will travel to Australia for a three match ODI series in December, starting from the 5th of December 2024.
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