New Zealand registered a closely fought four-wicket win over India in the second Women’s T20I at Eden Park in Auckland to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series. Put in to bat by New Zealand in overcast conditions, India did not get off to the best of starts for the second T20I running. Priya Punia got out cheaply once again, dismissed in the third over after making just four runs in ten balls. At 8/1, it was time for the double act of Smriti Mandhana and Jemimah Rodrigues to come to the fore. With just the second delivery she faced, Rodrigues hit Sophie Devine for a six, and the duo targeted Lea Tahuhu in the next over, bringing up 16 off an over which included two fours and a six. The momentum would continue as neither Rosemary Mair nor Amelia Kerr was spared in the subsequent overs. The Indian batters played with freedom, showing no signs of the pressure that crippled them in the last T20I while chasing New Zealand’s total. It was in the tenth over that Suzie Bates picked up the wicket of Smriti Mandhana for 36 off 27 balls to give New Zealand some reprieve. At 71/2, in walked in Harmanpreet Kaur, but she couldn’t have the impact she usually does, dismissed for 5 by Leigh Kasperek to leave India at 79/3. Dayalan Hemalatha came in to bat next but retired hurt after making just two runs as she seemed to injure her shoulder while sliding in to the crease to make it in time for a quick single. The ones and twos kept coming, though, and Rodrigues soon brought up her 50 in the 17th over, even as Deepti Sharma was run-out for 6 and was replaced by Arundhati Reddy at the other end. It was the 19th over which turned out to be crucial in the situation with India needing to score quick runs, Rodrigues’ three consecutive boundaries off the bowling of Amelia Kerr helping India to propel the score from 115 to 130. Rodrigues was stumped in the same over for 72, and India eventually finished on 135/6. In reply, New Zealand got off to the perfect start. The pair of Suzie Bates and Sophie Devine quickly propelling the score to 29/0 by the end of four overs. Even though Deepti Sharma and Mansi Joshi continued to bowl tight lines, the pair of Bates and Devine dealt with the threat with consummate ease, picking up the singles whenever possible and punishing the Indian bowlers even if they wavered by an inch. It took Radha Yadav in the fifth over to come in and give India a crucial breakthrough, when a straight delivery clattered into Devine’s stumps. She was dismissed for 19 after looking dangerous for large parts of the innings. Yadav then picked up the wicket of Caitlin Gurrey in her next over to leave New Zealand at 41/2 at the end of seven overs. It was at this point when the pair of Suzie Bates and Amy Satterthwaite began a partnership that would go on to define the rest of the innings. Satterthwaite played the perfect foil to Bates as the latter took on the Indian bowling attack with some sensible batting. There was no extravagance or expansiveness in the shots, but effective batting picking up singles and doubles whenever possible. With scoreboard pressure not an issue at this point, the Indian bowlers failed to curtail New Zealand at this point. With the score reading 99/2 in 14 overs, New Zealand seemed to be in cruise control when Radha Yadav dismissed Satterthwaite to pick up her second wicket of the innings, caught by Priya Punia. The match came alive in the last three overs, New Zealand were 117/3 by the end of the seventeenth over, but Arundhati Reddy struck twice in the eighteenth over to dismiss the dangerous Suzie Bates for 62, and then Anna Paterson with the first delivery that she faced. It would have been easy for the pair of Leigh Kasperek and Katey Martin to panic as India sensed a way back into the game, but they controlled their nerves. Fourteen runs were needed off the last two overs, and by the time Deepti Sharma bowled the nineteenth over off which five runs were made, the equation was down to nine required from the last over. Katey Martin then hit Mansi Joshi for a four off the first ball of the last over to relieve the pressure, and even though Joshi clattered Martin’s stumps with the very next delivery, Hannah Rowe and Leigh Kasperek took 2, 1, 1 and 1 off the last four balls to give New Zealand a narrow victory. With the win, New Zealand took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match T20I series.<doc-sep>New Zealand's Suzie Bates plays a shot during the second T20I (AFP Photo) HAMILTON: An improved batting performance will be foremost on skipper Harmanpreet Kaur 's mind when India Women, eyeing a consolation victory, take on New Zealand in the third and final T20 International here Sunday. After winning the ODI series 2-1, India lost momentum and subsequently the T20I series. With an aim to build a squad for the T20 World Cup in 2020, the Indian team management decided to drop team's senior batswoman Mithali Raj, who is no longer considered a force to reckon with in the shortest format. Only time will tell whether this inspired call pays dividends in the long run but the results have been far from encouraging in the first two matches that India lost by 23 runs and four wickets, respectively. "We are building a team. Today, we may be facing difficulties but in future we will do well as the young players gain experience. I think the future is good for the team and results will follow," Harmanpreet had said after conceding the series. In both the games, whether chasing or batting first, India scored under 140, which is below-par against a top team like New Zealand. The biggest problem has been the lack of fight from the middle order, save Smriti Mandhana and Jemimah Rodrigues, who were top scorers in the first two games. Debutant Priya Punia's lack of experience has been evident but probably what hurt the Indian team most is skipper Harmanpreet's indifferent form. The Indian captain scored 17 and 5 in the first two games. She has been rusty due to lack of batting time since the start of the ODI series that the visitors won quite comfortably. "We did not win the series; but more than winning and losing, we learnt a lot. We have a very young squad, there are very few players who have played more than 30 matches. Most of the players have played less than 10 T20I matches. It is a good learning process for us," Harmanpreet has rued the lack of experience. One of the biggest problems for Indian team has been deciding on what exactly is Deepti Sharma's role in the squad. As an off-spinner, she is neither as restrictive as left-arm spinner Radha Yadav nor an attacking option like leg-spinner Poonam Yadav. As a left-handed batswoman, she lacks the firepower to up the ante in the final overs of the innings. She has failed repeatedly over the last two years to change her game and it will only be fair if the team management decides where exactly she fits in. If they are unable to find Deepti's replacement, it will reflect more about the lack of quality in the bench strength. The White Ferns have picked their game since losing the ODI series with senior batswoman Suzie Bates scoring 57 in the final ODI and a match-winning 62 in the second T20 international. SQUADS India: Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Smriti Mandhana, Mithali Raj, Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma, Taniya Bhatia, Poonam Yadav, Radha Yadav, Anuja Patil, Ekta Bisht, Dayalan Hemalatha, Mansi Joshi, Arundhati Reddy, Shikha Pandey, Priya Punia New Zealand: Amy Satterthwaite (c), Suzie Bates, Bernadine Bezuidenhout, Sophie Devine, Hayley Jensen, Caitlin Gurrey, Leigh Kasperek, Amelia Kerr, Frances Mackay, Katey Martin, Rosemary Mair, Hannah Rowe, Lea Tahuhu<doc-sep>The 3rd T20I between India and New Zealand will take place on Sunday, February 10, 2019. (BCCI Women Twitter) The 3rd T20I between India and New Zealand will take place on Sunday, February 10, 2019. (BCCI Women Twitter) After going down in the first two T20Is, Indian women cricket team would eye for a consolation win when they take on New Zealand in the final encounter of the three-match series on Sunday. After witnessing a dramatic collapse on previous two ocassions, skipper Harmanpreet Kaur will hope that the batters do well in the final encounter. However, it would be intresting to see if the team management include Mithali Raj in the playing XI for the final clash. In a bid to build a reformed squad ahead the 2020 T20 World Cup, the team management have dropped the senior cricketer, who is no longer considered a force to reckon with in the shortest format. After taking an unassailable 2-0 lead a confident New Zealand side would aim for a clean sweep and would like to maintain the winning momentum after winning three matches on the trot, one ODI and two T20Is. When is India vs New Zealand 3rd T20I? The 3rd T20I between India and New Zealand will take place on Sunday, February 10, 2019. Where is India vs New Zealand 3rd T20I? The 3rd T20I between India and New Zealand will be played at the the Seddon Park in Hamilton, New Zealand. Which channels will broadcast India vs New Zealand 3rd T20I? The 3rd T20I between India and New Zealand will be broadcast on Star Sports 1 and all its regional and HD platforms. What time does India vs New Zealand 3rd T20I begin? India vs New Zealand 3rd T20I will begin at 8:30 AM IST. The toss will take place at 8:00 AM IST. How do I watch online live streaming of India vs New Zealand 3rd T20I? India vs New Zealand 3rd T20I live streaming will be available on Hotstar. You can catch scores and updates on Indian Express Sports Twitter account with report thereafter on IndianExpress.com.<doc-sep>India needed to score four runs off the last ball, which was faced by Mithali Raj; Leigh Kasperek was the bowler. The ball was full and seemed to cramp Mithali, who could only score a run, India going on to lose the match by two runs. Periodic updates 11:26am MATCH OVER! India loses by two runs. Mithali Raj manages only a single off the final ball. 11:25am 1 run off the fifth ball. 4 runs required off the last ball with Mithali Raj on strike. She has to pick her spot. Mid-wicket and wide long-on, one thinks, is the best place to hit the off-spinner. 11:25am 2 runs off the fourth ball. 5 runs required off 2 now. 11:24am A four off the third ball. 7 runs required off 3 now. 11:23am Single off the second ball. 11 runs required off 4. Deepti Sharma on strike. 11:22am And Mithali Raj hits a four off the first ball. 12 runs required off 5 now. 11:21am India 146 for four. It needs 16 runs off the last over with Mithali Raj on strike. 11:17am India needs 23 runs from the last two overs. 11:13am India 134 for four after 17 overs. It needs 28 more runs to win from three overs. Smriti Mandhana fell for 86, putting India under pressure. Deepti Sharma has joined Mithali Raj and struck Amelia Kerr for a six, but India needs a big over. 11:05am India 123 for three after 15 overs. It needs 39 more runs to win from five overs. Smriti Mandhana is batting on 86, Mithali Raj is batting on 10. 10:48am Smriti Mandhana keeps India well in control of chasing down 162. She has taken India to 91 for two with a masterful innings of 67. Jemimah Rodrigues fell for 21 after getting off to a start. 10:26am India, after five overs, has the same score as New Zealand had at the same stage in its innings: 46 for one. Jemimah Rodrigues has joined Smriti Mandhana in the middle after Priya Punia fell cheaply again. Both are putting up a batting masterclass! 9:54am New Zealand makes 161 for seven in 20 overs, setting India a formidable target of 162. India helped itself with regular strikes in the last quarter of the innings, restricting New Zealand to 161 after it had been 127 for two at the end of the 15th over. Sophie Devine top-scored with 72 runs off 52 balls. 9:30am New Zealand is on the march, again. Sophie Devine and captain Amy Satterthwaite have added 47 runs in the last five overs. Devine has raced to 70 off 48 balls, while Satterthwaite is complementing her nicely with 19 off 16 balls. White Ferns 127 for two after 15 overs. 9:11am New Zealand 80 for two after 10 overs. India has stemmed the run flow in the last five overs, conceding just 34 runs. Taking the wickets of Suzie Bates and Hannah Rowe has immensely helped. White Ferns, though, is on course for a total of 150 or more. 8:48am Suzie Bates (24 not out) and Sophie Devine (20 not out) have gotten New Zealand off to a solid start. New Zealand is 46 for no loss after five overs. 8:30am Off-spinner Deepti Sharma to begin proceedings. Suzie Bates and Sophie Devine are New Zealand's opening batters. Toss update: Amy Satterthwaite, New Zealand women's captain, won the toss and chose to bat first.<doc-sep>
Indian women cricket team suffered a loss by two runs in the third and final T20I against New Zealand. (Source: Twitter/WHITE_FERNS) Indian women cricket team suffered a loss by two runs in the third and final T20I against New Zealand. (Source: Twitter/WHITE_FERNS) The Indian women cricket team suffered a loss by two runs in the third and final T20I against New Zealand in Hamilton on Sunday to return with a 3-0 series defeat in the hands of the hosts. Opening batswoman Smriti Mandhana’s career-best knock of 86 from 52 balls went in vain as the visitors, who were playing for pride having already lost the series, failed to build on her knock to lose the match by a small margin. Mandhana notched up her eight T20I half-century and second of the series as she dominated against New Zealand bowlers yet again. Former captain Mithali Raj, who was named in the Playing XI in the Hamilton T20I, made 24 not out but failure to hit a four in her final delivery saw the visitors returning home with a cleansweep defeat in the series. Chasing 162, India needed 16 runs from the final over for a win but fell short of two runs. India started the chase well, reaching 92/2 at the halfway stage but failed to force the pace as they ended their innings at 159/4. Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur, who put up just two runs, said after the match, “We are disappointed to lose the series like this, we could have done better. We have a lot of work to do. In T20 Internationals we need to make improvements in the final 10-over batting. More importantly, we need to sort out the batting order. But there are positives from this series like the batting of Smirti and Jemimah as well as the performance of bowlers.” Hosts New Zealand had won the toss and opted to bat before Sophie Devine and Amy Satterthwaite put up a 71-run stand for the third wicket. The White Ferns suffered a batting collapse after Devine, who dominated against the Indian bowlers on Sunday, got dismissed in the 17th over. From 140 for 2, New Zealand ended their innings at 161 for 7. Brief Scores: New Zealand Women: 161 for 7 from 20 overs (Sophie Devine 72, Amy Satterthwaite 31; Deepti Sharma 2/28). India Women: 159 for 4 from 20 overs (Smriti Mandhana 86; Sophie Devine 2/21).