The White Ferns captain put in an all-round show (79 off 86 balls and 3/27) that more than made up for Kerr’s absence, Radha Yadav scored a defiant 48 other than a spectacular moment in the field. (BCCI Women and White Ferns on X)
Amelia Kerr – player of the final and player of the tournament at the T20 World Cup recently – was ruled out of the remainder of the ODI series against India in Ahmedabad. An absence like that is not easy to fill because New Zealand effectively needs two players to do the job that an elite allrounder like Kerr does.
Thankfully for them, they had a certain Sophie Devine leading their charge. The White Ferns captain put in an all-round show (79 off 86 balls and 3/27) that more than made up for Kerr’s absence as the visitors beat Harmanpreet Kaur’s India by 76 runs to register an emphatic win in the second ODI and level the three-match series 1-1.
Woeful batting by India
Chasing 260 was going to be tricky but India’s batting performance was woeful from the word go. Smriti Mandhana was once again out caught at backward point off a lazy lofted shot, Shafali Verma soon followed suit by getting trapped plumb in front and wasting a review to boot. The only hint of resistance from a top-order batter came from captain Harmanpreet, who returned to the XI and played a decent hand of 24 but Devine accounted for her counterpart. At one point India were 108/8 and looked to be in danger of folding well before the 30-over mark.
But then came a valiant partnership of 70 for the 9th wicket between Radha Yadav and Saima Thakor that kept NZ on the field much longer than they’d have wanted. That the team’s highest stand came that far down said a story but the two lower-order batters produced what is now India’s record for the 9th wicket partnership in women’s ODIs. Radha eventually fell for a defiant 48.
Mixed day on the field
On the personal front, it was actually a memorable day for Radha. She is one of the few Indian players who could stake a place in the squad, and even the playing XI regularly, just purely based on her fielding skills. That she is a solid spinner and a handy lower-order batter makes her a proper 3-dimensional asset.
And on Sunday she showed off her stunning catching skills — not once, but twice. In the 32nd over, debutant Priya Mishra was in the middle of a solid spell but was still searching for her first senior international wicket. She had been unlucky until that point but Radha came up with a blinder. As Brooke Halliday mis-hit a wrong ‘un from Priya, the ball skied over to Radha who started running back from cover. It still seemed a tough ask, but as the ball was on its way down, Radha put in a full-length dive and didn’t let it slip as she landed heavily.
And before that, she had taken another fabulous catch to dismiss Georgia Plimmer. Deepti Sharma’s ball stopped on the opener and her attempted push through midwicket looped up. It still looked to be falling safely until Radha put in a late dive to pluck the ball inches away from the ground. India’s catching was still suspect overall on the day, but Radha’s two efforts were a reminder why she is one of the best in the business. She also picked up four wickets but went for 69 runs.
Deepti, however, had the exact opposite kind of day. She had a nightmare on the field, dropping a few easy catches but was the best Indian bowler on display, with figures of 2/30 in her 10 overs. The decisive performance of the day, however, came from Devine who rode her luck early on before playing a well-constructed innings with the bat. Fellow veteran Suzie Bates too chipped in with a half-century at the top of the order to ensure NZ posted a total that was well out of India’s reach.
Brief scores: New Zealand 259/9 (Devine 79, Radha 4/69) beat India 183 (Radha 48, Devine 3/27) by 76 runs
