Dayalan Hemalatha (3-26) and Poonam Yadav (3-33) starred with the ball as India defeated New Zealand by 34 runs in the first match of the Women's World T20 at the the Providence Stadium in Guyana on Friday. After a brilliant display with the bat, a combined bowling effort helped India restrict New Zealand 160 for nine in 20 overs. Chasing a mammoth target of 195, New Zealand got off to a solid start but lost the momentum after losing three wickets in quick succession. The Indian spinners, then bowled superbly in the middle overs, not allowing the batters to score runs freely. The required run rate kept on increasing for New Zealand and the batters eventually succumbed under the pressure. Suzie Bates (67) was the top scorer for the team. Towards the end, Katey Martin (39) played a brilliant knock but failed to take her team across the line. Radha Yadav (2-31) and Arundhati Reddy (1-36) were the other wicket takers for India.
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Highlights Between India vs New Zealand ICC Women's World T20, straight from the Providence Stadium in Guyana
India beat New Zealand by 34 runs.
23:39 IST: Done and dusted! India register their first win of the 2018 Women's World T20. Radha Yadav gets her second wicket on the final ball of the match. She finishes with figures of two for 31.
23:37 IST: OUT! Brilliant diving catch from Deepti Sharma at long on. Leigh Kasperek's (19 off 9 balls) cameo comes to an end. Eighth wicket down for New Zealand. Radha Yadav gets her first wicket of the match.
23:34 IST: Radha Yadav will bowl the final over of the match. New Zealand another require 44 runs to win from the final six deliveries. NZW 151-7 after 19 overs
23:33 IST: OUT! Poonam Yadav gets her third wicket of the match. Dangerous Katey Martin walks back after scoring 39 runs. Trying to go over the top Martin mistimes the ball. Harmanpreet Kaur takes a simple catch at extra covers. NZW 147-7 after 18.5 overs.
23:29 IST: Excellent delivery from Arundhati Reddy to finish the over. Eight runs from it. New Zealand require another 58 runs from 12 balls. NZW 137-6 after 18 overs.
23:25 IST: Review from India! Original decision from the umpire is not out. Arundhati Reddy looks confident on that one. She has indicated that there was some noise as the ball passed the bat. But the replay clearly show that there was no bat involved. Review wasted for India. Katey Martin survives. NZW 130-6 after 17.2 overs.
23:20 IST: Eight-run over from Pooman Yadav comes to an end. Katey Martin (19) and Leigh Kasperek (0) are out in the middle fighting for New Zealand in the run chase. New Zealand require another 76 runs in 24 balls
23:16 IST: OUT! Another one bites the dust for New Zealand. This time it's Maddy Green who walks back after scoring two runs. Sixth wicket down for New Zealand in the run chase. Deepti Sharma takes a brilliant catch in the deep. Dayalan Hemalatha gets her third wicket of the match. NZW 110-6 after 14.5 overs.
23:13 IST: FOUR! Beautiful shot from Katey Martin. Tossed up delivery outside off stump from Dayalan Hemalatha and Martin hits the ball over extra cover to collect four runs.
23:08 IST: OUT! Arundhati Reddy gets the crucial wicket of Suzie Bates. Trying to go over the in-field Bates mistimes the full toss from Arundhati. Deepti Sharma at backward points takes a simple catch. Vates walks back after scoring 67 runs. NZW 98-5 after 13.4 overs.
23:04 IST: OUT! Dayalan Hemalatha strikes for India! Trying to up the scoring rate, Amy Satterthwaite skies the ball in the air as the ball hits the top of her bat. Veda Krishnamurthy at square leg takes a comfortable catch. Satterthwaite walks back after scoring three runs. NZW 93-4 after 12.4 overs.
22:57 IST: Four and fifty comes up for Suzie Bates! Terrific knock under pressure from the right-hander. Bates has held the fort from one end. Bates is now the leading run-scorer in Womens World T20I cricket. NZW 80-3 after 10.5 overs.
22:52 IST: Poonam Yadav misses out on a hat-trick. Bowls the hat-trick ball wide outside the off-stump. Skipper Amy Satterthwaite lets the ball go. New Zealand are in big trouble at the moment. After a brilliant start they have lost three wickets in quick succession. NZW 74-3 after 9.4 overs.
22:51 IST: OUT! Second wicket for Poonam Yadav. Jess Watkin walks back without troubling the scorers. First ball duck for Watkin. Poonam is on a hat-trick now.
22:50 IST: OUT! Poonam Yadav strikes for India. Short and wide outside off from Poonam and Sophie Devine hits the ball straight into the hands of Harmanpreet Kaur in the covers.
22:46 IST: SIX! Terrific strike from Sophie Devine against Dayalan Hemalatha. Shot pitched delivery from the off-spinners and Devine pulls the ball to square leg region to collect her first six of the match.
22:38 IST: OUT! Debutant Dayalan Hemalatha gets the first wicket for India! Trying to guide the ball towards the third man Anna Peterson only manages to edge the ball. Taniya Bhatia takes a sharp catch behind the stumps. Peterson walks back after scoring 14 runs. NZW 52-1 after 6.3 overs.
22:33 IST: Tight over from Deepti Sharma comes to an end. Five runs from it. Arundhati Reddy comes back into the attack to replace Radha Yadav. NZW 40-0 after 5 overs.
22:28 IST: FOUR! Beautiful footwork form Suzie Bates on that occasion. Charges down the track against Radha Yadav and places the ball beautifully in the mid-wicket region to collect her third boundary of the mach. This has been a solid start from both the New Zealand openers. NZW 32-0 after 3.4 overs.
22:21 IST: Tidy start from Radha Yadav at the other end. Just two runs from her first over. First bowling change for India. Deepti Sharma comes in to replace Arundhati Reddy. NZW 14-0 after 2 overs.
22:17 IST: FOUR! Boundary to end the over from Arundhati Reddy. Expensive start from Arundhati. 12 runs from her first over. Radha Yadav will share the new ball with Arundhati from the other end. NZW 12-0 after 1 over.
22:14 IST: FOUR! New Zealand and Suzie Bates are off the mark with a boundary. Short and wide outside off stump from Arundhati Reddy and Bates hits the ball through covers to collect her first boundary of the match. NZW 4-0 after 0.1 overs.
22:13 IST: Suzie Bates and Anna Peterson are out in the middle to start the run-chase for New Zealand. Arundhati Reddy will start the proceedings for India.
Innings break - New Zealand require 195 runs to win from 120 deliveries.
22:01 IST: Dot ball to end the 20th over. India score 194 runs for the loss of five wickets. (Harmanpreet Kaur 103, Jemimah Rodrigues 59; Lea Tahuhu 2-18)
21:58 IST: Maiden T20I century for Harmanpreet Kaur! What a knock this has been for the Indian skipper. Becomes the first Indian women to hit a century in T20I cricket. Takes a a couple of runs on the leg side to get to the three figure-mark. IND 192-4 after 19.3 overs.
21:53 IST: OUT! Jess Watkin gets the much needed breakthrough for Ne Zealand. Jemimah Rodrigues charges down the track but fails to connect with the ball. Katey Martin behind the stumps, takes the bails off in a flash. Rodrigues walks back after scoring 59 runs. IND 174-4 after 18.2 overs.
21:51 IST: SIX! Another colossal strike from Harmanpreet Kaur. Hits Amelia Kerr straight down the ground to collect her seventh six of the match. Brilliant batting display from the Indian skipper.
21:46 IST: 15-run over from Hayley Jensen comes to an end Both Harmanpreet Kaur (74) and Jemimah Rodrigues (51) are batting superbly at the moment. Run rate for India at the moment is 9.12. Can India cross the 200-run mark with three more overs to go? IND 155-3 after 17 overs.
21:43 IST: 50 for Jemimah Rodrigues! Hits the ball straight down the ground, collects two runs and gets to her fourth half-century in T20Is. Rodrigues has provided excellent to Harmanpreet from the other end. IND 146-3 after 16.2 overs.
21:40 IST: SIX! Harmanpreet Kaur is on fire! Another colossal strike from the Indian skipper. Tossed up delivery from Leigh Kasperek and Harmanpreet hits the ball straight down the ground to collect six runs. IND 138-3 after 15.4 overs.
21:35 IST: 50 for Harmanpreet Kaur! What a knock this has been from the Indian skipper. Takes a single down the ground to get to her seventh half-century in T20I cricket. Three boundaries and four sixes in her 50-run knock. IND 122-3 after 14.3 overs.
21:32 IST: FOUR! Harmanpreet Kaur is looking unstoppable at the moment. Boundary to end the over from Amy Satterthwaite. 18 runs from it including two sixes and a boundary. IND 116-3 after 14 overs.
21:30 IST: 100 up for India! Jemimah Rodrigues hits the ball straight down the ground to collect a single and 100 comes up for India in 13.2 overs.
21:24 IST: FOUR! Beautiful shot from Harmanpreet Kaur. Over pitched delivery from Lea Tahuhu and Harmanpreet hits the ball straight down the ground to collect another boundary. Terrific timing on that occasion from the Indian skipper. 50-run partnership also comes up between Harmanpreet and Jemimah Rodrigues. IND 90-3 after 11.5 overs.
21:20 IST: Tidy over from Leigh Kasperek comes to an end. Five runs from it. Lea Tahuhu comes back into the attack for New Zealand. IND 81-3 after 11 overs.
21:14 IST: SIX! Another big hit from the Indian skipper Harmanpreet Kaur. This time Harmanpreet hits Jess Watkin straight down the ground towards long off to collect six runs. The ball clears the rope with ease. IND 76-3 after 10 overs.
21:12 IST: SIX! First six of the tournament comes from the bat of Harmanpreet Kaur. Charges down the track against Jess Watkin and slams her over deep mid-wicket to collect six runs. 71-metre strike from the Indian captain. IND 66-3 after 9.2 overs.
21:05 IST: 50 up for India! Jemimah Rodrigues hits Sophie Devine's delivery towards cover and picks up a comfortable single as 50 comes up for the Indian team in 7.3 overs. Jemimah Rodrigues batting on 19 alongside Harmanpreet Kaur on 2 runs.
21:03 IST: Seven-run over from Amelia Kerr comes to an end. Another bowling change for New Zealand. All-rounder Sophie Devine will bowl from the other end. IND 45-3 after 7 overs.
20:58 IST: OUT! Another one bites the dust. India are three down now. Poor shot selection from Dayalan Hemalatha this time. Sweeps the full toss outside off straight into the hands of Lea Tahuhu at short fine leg. Hemalatha's brief stay at the centre comes to an end. She walks back after scoring 15 runs. Leigh Kasperek gets her first wicket of the match. IND 41-3 after 5.4 overs.
20:54 IST: FOUR! FOUR! Back to back boundaries for debutant Dayalan Hemalatha. Hayley Jensen struggling with her line in the first over. 13-run over from Jensen comes to an end. IND 37-2 after 5 overs.
20:48 IST: OUT! Hayley Jensen takes an absolute blinder in the deep. Short pitched delivery from Lea Tahuhu and Smriti Mandhana goes after that one. Times it superbly but Jensen takes a stunning catch at the boundary line. Mandhana walks back after scoring just 2 runs. Both the openers are now back in the pavilion for India. Tahuhu grabs her second wicket of the match. IND 22-2 after 3.5 overs.
20:46 IST: FOUR! Beautifully driven from Jemimah Rodrigues. Wide delivery outside off stump from Lea Tahuhu and Rodrigues pounces onto that one. Places the ball perfectly between the point and the cover fielder to collect her first boundary of the match.
20:41 IST: Terrific over from Lea Tahuhu comes to an end. Five runs and a wicket from it. Another bowling change for New Zealand. Leigh Kasperek replaces Jess Watkin at the other end. IND 14-1 after 2 overs.
20:36 IST: OUT! Spot on from Lea Tahuhu. Length delivery from Tahuhu nips back just in, hits the pads of Taniya Bhatia and goes on to hit the top of off stump. India lose their first wicket. Taniya walks back after scoring 9 runs. IND 9-1 after 1.1 overs.
20:34 IST: Two boundaries and a single from Jess Watkin's first over of the match. Lea Tahuhu will share the new ball with Watkin from the other end. IND 9-0 after 1 over.
20:31 IST: FOUR! India and Taniya Bhatia are off the mark with a boundary. On the pads from Jess Watkin and Bhatia clips the ball fine on the leg side to collect the first boundary of the match. IND 4-0 after 0.1 overs.
20:30 IST: Openers Taniya Bhatia and Smriti Mandhana are out in the middle to start for India. Off spinner Jess Watkin will start the proceedings for the New Zealand. Here we go!
20:24 IST: Both teams are out at the centre along with the match officials for the national anthems. We are minutes away from the start!
20:12 IST: Playing XI for both the teams!
India Women: Smriti Mandhana, Taniya Bhatia(wk), Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet Kaur(c), Dayalan Hemalatha, Mithali Raj, Deepti Sharma, Veda Krishnamurthy, Radha Yadav, Poonam Yadav, Arundhati Reddy
New Zealand Women: Suzie Bates, Anna Peterson, Sophie Devine, Amy Satterthwaite(c), Katey Martin(wk), Maddy Green, Leigh Kasperek, Jess Watkin, Hayley Jensen, Amelia Kerr, Lea Tahuhu
20:00 IST: Indian skipper Harmanpreet Kaur wins the toss and elects to bat against New Zealand.
19:50 IST: Both teams warming up ahead of the start of the match.
19:40 IST: What a moment for Dayalan Hemalatha!
19:30 IST: Hello and welcome to the live blog of the opening match of the ICC Women's World T20 between India and New Zealand from the Providence Stadium in Guyana.
Captain Harmanpreet Kaur and recently-appointed coach Ramesh Powar insist that the team has learnt from that final loss and the presence of youngsters, including six World Cup debutants, makes the squad "fearless". India have never won the World T20 in their previous five attempts with their best result, a semifinal appearance, coming in 2009 and 2010.
This is the first standalone World T20 for women after being held alongside the men's event in the past editions. In the lead-up to the World T20, India have hit good form, beating hosts Sri Lanka before blanking Australia A at home. What should give them additional confidence going into the opener is the wins against reigning champions West Indies and England in the warm-up matches.
India squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Taniya Bhatia (wk), Ekta Bisht, Dayalan Hemalatha, Mansi Joshi, Veda Krishnamurthy, Smriti Mandhana, Anuja Patil, Mithali Raj, Arundathi Reddy, Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma, Pooja Vastrakar, Radha Yadav, Poonam Yadav.
New Zealand squad: Amy Satterthwaite (c), Suzie Bates, Bernadine Bezuidenhout (wk), Sophie Devine, Kate Ebrahim, Maddy Green, Holly Huddleston, Hayley Jensen, Leigh Kasperek, Amelia Kerr, Katey Martin, Anna Peterson, Harriet Rowe, Lea Tahuhu, Jess Watkin.