Smriti Mandhana (PTI Photo/Kunal Patil) India booked their place in the semi-finals of the Women’s World Cup along with Australia, South Africa and England after beating New Zealand by 53 runs by DLS in a rain-affected match.“It’s definitely a big relief to qualify. The last three matches were really tough. We thought we played good cricket but we just couldn’t win, so this is a real relief,” Mandhana said at the post-match presentation.
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Indian vice-captain Smriti Mandhana scored her fifth century of the year with 109 runs, while Pratika Rawal reached her maiden World Cup century with 122 runs.The opening pair put on a record partnership of 212 runs for the first wicket to help India reach 340/3 in 49 overs, their highest World Cup total, surpassing their previous record of 330 against Australia in Visakhapatnam.After another rain delay, New Zealand’s target was adjusted to 325 runs in 44 overs, with the 2000 champions managing 271/8.Mandhana, who received the man of the match award, acknowledged Pratika’s equal contribution to their victory.“Pratika deserved it as much as I did,” she added.“We’ve been getting that question for the last eight months and I don’t think either of us can answer it perfectly. But we’re similar people – we both want to do the job for the team. We don’t talk a lot in the middle of it. He’s a good anchor and really allows me to play my natural game. When it gets going, I can step into the anchor role. It really works when the other striker can focus on us.”India experienced a tough phase after initial wins against Sri Lanka and Pakistan, suffering losses against South Africa, Australia and England.“Once I get to the 20s, I want to play a longer innings. At World Cups, you have to leave a lot of things behind. If you’re in shape, you have to keep going and not complicate things – that’s what I kept telling myself. I feel good and that’s important,” she said.Discussing the team’s determination to overcome their recent defeats, Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur added, “Credit goes to the whole team for the way we fought today. We knew how important this match was, the whole team was fired up and I am happy with the way we played today. Credit to Smriti and Pratika for the way they took charge. We had a very good start.“Whenever you play at home, everyone expects a lot from you. We discuss as a team that this is our home and the crowd is always cheering for us. It’s a moment you can enjoy instead of just putting pressure on yourself.”New Zealand’s campaign in the tournament faced significant problems with three losses in six matches.“We are incredibly disappointed and gutted, not only for ourselves but for our friends and family. A frustrating tournament – we would have liked more opportunities to play and with the bat. Credit goes to them. The target was just too big for us,” New Zealand captain Sophie Devine said.
