NZ Women vs IND Women, 1st ODI at Queenstown, NZ-W v IND-W, Feb 11 2022 - Match Result

That's it for our coverage for today. The second game is on the 15th. Do join us for that one. Hope you enjoyed the game and thanks for all the feedback. Keep them coming in. The IPL auction will start in Bangalore in a short while and the live blog is up and running. Do head over there to follow everything. Until next time, on behalf of Srinidhi and our scorer Vairavan, signing off from here. Stay safe and take care. Ta, ta!

Sophie Devine: It's great to see Suzie Bates scoring runs out in the middle. We spoke about wanting to play good cricket for extended periods of time and we did that today. Hitting 150 after 30 and having wickets in the shed we have spoken about it for a long time. Disappointing to leave 12 balls at the end, who knows what we could've got. Still room for improvement. Bowling into the wind was hard, it was going to be short, sharp rotations. Hannah Rowe probably did not start too well but the way she came back into the wind, that's what we want from this group - people who can adapt on the go. Really pleased with our whole bowling effort.

Mithali Raj: We definitely had a preparation camp, but there has been a huge gap between coming into New Zealand with extended quarantine in Mumbai and here as well. It is important to get used to the conditions, it's in a way good that we are playing as series before the World Cup. We definitely made a comeback in the later half of the first innings. It took time for the bowlers to get used to the windy conditions, because there was a lot of breeze in the middle. The spinners are experienced a lot and they used that to make a comeback in the innings. We should be able to score 270 because that's the standard now in Women's cricket. We are missing Smriti Mandhana and having an experienced batter in the side helps to chase a big target but it's an opportunity for the others in the side to sort of show their game. We need to have a certain run-rate to maintain through the innings, so were able to score at least around 250 or 270 whether we bat first or chase.

Bates: It is a pretty special day, nice to start off the series with a win. Last summer the group was disappointed with how we started. We want to make sure we compete in every game throughout this series and leading into to the World Cup. Proud of the way the team stood up but we have to keep the momentum going. That's the nice thing about coming off a domestic season, we have played at this ground, had three innings out here, know the conditions well. Just being able to spend more time in the middle, you know what sort of a tempo you have to play at. Anytime when a new batter came in, I felt there was no scoreboard pressure which allowed me to just bat. That's the blueprint we want to stick to. I thought our bowlers started off really well in the powerplay on a good wicket. Olivia [Bates' sister] thinks she is bad luck, whenever she turns on the telly, she thinks I score no runs. I try to tell her it is not something to do with her. She will be pleased that she's turned up, nice to have some family and play close to home.

Suzie Bates is the Player of the Match for her 11th ODI ton.

Nandhana: "A balanced team in my opinion- Smriti, Shafali, Jemimah, Harmanpreet, Yastika/Richa, Mithali, Deepti, Jhulan, Poonam Yadav, Pooja Vastrakar, Shikha Pandey/Sneha Rana. Also, India should look at Yastika as a keeper (got good reflexes) and should make use of all rounding options - Kaur, Jemimah and Smriti"

Kapil Baldawa: "@Nandhana: If u can't start the innings going after 15 balls, u shouldn't be playing at this level, especially when u r chasing 275 n secondly, it's her role to go big, so she is the one who has to take the game to opposition but she fails to often. Being in form in WBBL n local tournaments doesn't help when you can't replicate that for your country"

6.05pm: Familiar story for the Indian batting lineup. After the openers fell early, Yastika and Mithali forged a partnership which kept India in the game but the left-hander's wicket pushed the rate up and soon the Indian skipper got out. Harmanpreet failed once more and the rate was too high for the lower-order batters to realistically hope of winning the game. The Kerr sisters took 5 wickets and were involved in the dismissal of Mithali Raj. A comfortable win for New Zealand and they go up 1-0 in the five-match series. Stay tuned for the presentation...

Nandhana: "Am surprised that no one is even mentioning about Radha Yadav. Also, for all those who don't follow domestic cricket, I can recommend a power hitter to compliment Harmanpreet Kaur --- Esha Oza, search her up, plays for Mumbai alongside Jemimah"

Varun: "Ok, I'll settle the debate. India needs both Mithali and Harmanpreet in the playing 11. Harman is the only top 6 batter who bowls. Problem is Shafali is woefully out of form. An in-form Shafali combined with Smriti will put a lot of bowlers under pressure. Besides that, India needs power hitters in the lower order. Sneh Rana and Pooja Vastrakar should always be in the 11, maybe even Simran Bahadur."

Nandhana: "Smriti, Shefali, Yastika, Pooja are not power hitters, they are smooth strikers who play according to the merit of the ball. They aren't people who can give you a 35 ball 50 at a consistent rate. Prolly, Shefali, yes but for that she has to come a little down the order."

Nandhana: "@Kapil- she played just 15 balls before Mithali fell. I don't think you can say that she is consuming balls when she is just getting used to the pitch. You can take Shreyas Iyer's knock yesterday as an example!"

Sanjeev : "@Kapil Baldawa-my statement is based on what I saw, Mithali plays like a test match in one day game, I agree that Kaur also shouldn't be part of team. My bigger concern is their mind set! No desire to fight and win, like they don't know how to win!! "

Nandhana: "@Kapil- she scored 50s in SA series. Also, in the t20 challenger series. But again, how can you say she is out of form when they barely play any matches in a calendar year?"

Bala: "Cannot buy the argument that there are not enough POWERHITTERS in the Indian batting line up apart from Kaur. What are Smriti, Shefali, Yastika, Pooja capable of. We do need some solid rockstars like Mithali and Jemimah or even Punam Raut to anchor alongside power hitters which is not happening. Let us accept the fact that the balance of the team is not working and try to find solutions which can make Kaur more responsible and demonstrate her skills."

Nandhana: "@Kapil - She can strike too, but the issue is, her natural strikeability is at a 125 SR whereas she is forced to curb her abilities for team's collapse. By the time she comes in, Mithali's innings end and she is forced to play with Richa and people down the order. Its a definite pressure. Also, a better position for her is at 4. Mithali should bat below that at a run chase."

Kapil Baldawa: "@Nandhana: Kaur came in at perfect time today and what did she do? Check the commentary today. She had time to play in n also the partner in Mithali n what did she do? Block a lot, 1-2 good shots n done.. she doesn't deserve a place in the XI for sure"

Nandhana: "Harmanpreet Kaur is an elite striker who needs team support. Her WBBL and The Hundred performances are highlighted as she can stand out only when teams offer her support. Its so unfair to blame her when she is playing in a team where batters ahead of her consume overs with a low scoring rate. Time for India to get in a smooth striker to support Harmanpreet aka Jemimah"

Kapil Baldawa: "@Nandhana: if u think Kaur is just a pinch hitter, she should actually be not playing at this level at No.5. She is much more than that but she hasn't performed for years now. And it's high time someone like Jemimah is given that role at 5. She deserves more chances, certainly more than Kaur for sure"