Ahmedabad: India hosted New Zealand for a decisive three-match ODI series. After India took the first game and New Zealand leveled the score in the second, everything came down to the final match on Tuesday, October 29, 2024, at the Narendra Modi Stadium. Having won the toss, New Zealand decided to bat first, with Suzie Bates and Georgia Plimmer leading the charge at the top of the order.
The opening stand didn't last long, as Jemimah Rodrigues ran out Bates for 4 runs. Soon after, rookie bowler Saima Thakor struck, dismissing Lauren Down for only 1. The collapse continued when off-spinner Priya Mishra removed captain Sophie Devine for 9, and later claimed the wicket of Plimmer, who had scored 39 off 67 deliveries with six fours to her name.
With five wickets gone early, the responsibility fell on Brooke Halliday and Izabella Gaze to steady the ship. However, before they could establish a real partnership, Green was run out by Jemimah Rodrigues for 15. In the 39th over, Deepti Sharma broke through again, catching and bowling Izabella Gaze for 25. Despite the turmoil, Brooke Halliday played a gritty, aggressive knock in the middle order to reach her fifty in 73 balls.
Halliday eventually fell to Deepti Sharma after a strong performance of 86 runs from 96 balls, a knock featuring nine fours and three sixes. The tail crumbled quickly after that; Hannah Rowe was trapped lbw by Sharma for 11, Renuka Singh got rid of Eden Carson for 2, and Fran Jonas was run out for 2. Amidst the falling wickets, Lea Tahuhu managed a quick-fire 24* off 14 balls at the end.
New Zealand were eventually bowled out for 232 runs in 49.5 overs. In response, India's chase began with Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana. While they looked comfortable early on, Hannah Rowe broke the opening stand by dismissing Verma for 12. India ended the powerplay at 40/1, and Mandhana reached her half-century by the 13th over. She then partnered with Yastika Bhatia, who added 35 runs (including four boundaries) before being caught and bowled by Sophie Devine.
Mandhana then found a reliable ally in captain Harmanpreet Kaur. The duo dominated the game, putting on 117 runs for the third wicket and putting India in a commanding position. Mandhana eventually reached a century in 122 balls with ten fours, but her innings ended abruptly when a slower ball from Hannah Rowe stayed low and crashed into her stumps.
Harmanpreet Kaur, who hit a half-century off 53 balls, continued to lead the way while Jemimah Rodrigues added a quick 22 before being trapped lbw by Fran Jonas. Harmanpreet finished the game on an unbeaten 59 from 63 balls, guiding India to 236/4 in 44.2 overs. Winning with 34 balls to spare, India closed out the home series with a 2-1 victory.