ICC Women's T20 World Cup: India thrash New Zealand by 34 runs

Photo: Twitter/@ICC

Indian women got their campaign in the ICC Women's T20 World Cup to a solid start by defeating New Zealand by 34 runs.

Bolstered by captain Harmanpreet Kaur's maiden T20I century, India scored 194/5 after opting to bat first. The innings also saw Jemimah Rodrigues score a 45-ball 59 in an effort that rebuilt the team's batting after the openers failed to fire. Kaur's 103 off 51 balls - with eight sixes and seven boundaries - provided the innings much-needed firepower towards the end.

New Zealand's reply began on a positive note with opener Suzie Bate hitting a 50-ball 67. Despite losing wickets at the other end, she managed to keep the chase on track only for the pressure eventually getting to her. She fell to the medium-pace bowling of Arundhati Roy.

The mainstay of the Indian bowling was the dual attack of spin sisters Dayalan Hemlatha (3/26), Poonam Yadav (3/33) and Radha Yadav (2/31) who broke the New Zealand middle-order and eventually dismissed them for 160.

India is placed in Group B which also has Australia, Pakistan and Ireland - apart from New Zealand.