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Harmanpreet Kaur's India would have expected this piece to be written much differently when they came oot to bowl after losing the toss against New Zealand in the 2024 Women's T20 World Cup opener. Coming to the tournament as one of the favorites, in light of a successful WPL, and starting against a New Zealand team that had lost 10 matches on a trot, it wasn't supposed to end in a 58-run loss.
But a sub-par bowling and fielding performance made them concede 160/4 in the first innings. The batting, chasing an uphill task on a low-scoring slow pitch (the highest score so far in the tournament was 119), couldn't stand up to the occasion either.
The loss has now stifled India's chances of reaching the semi-finals already. The records good enough to be celebrated also went New Zealand's way while India, for their share, got some eye-opening stats.
Check them out:
#3 Most expensive figures by an Indian in a women's T20 World Cup group stage game
One of the biggest disappointments for India in the match was star all-rounder Deepti Sharma, who conceded 45 runs in her four overs without any wickets. Her economy rate of 11.2 was the highest in the match and in the tournament so far (minimum two overs).
These were also the most expensive figures for an Indian in the group stage of a women's T20 World Cup. And unfortunately, Deepti has broken her record of 1/35 against Pakistan in Cape Town last year.
The fact that Deepti's wicketless spell against New Zealand came on one of the best spinning wickets in Sharjah is a major concern for India.
Pacer Shikha Pandey conceded 52 for no wickets against Australia in 2020 but that came during a knockout game - the tournament final. Renuka Singh, too, bowled a spell of 0/41 against South Africa in the 2023 semi-final.
#2 New Zealand defeated India by the biggest margin in T20Is
The 58-run loss margin was the second highest for India (by runs) in T20 World Cups, only behind the Melbourne final. But as for India-New Zealand contests, it went right at the top.
The previous record was 52 runs from the first time these sides came against each other in the semi-finals of the 2009 women's T20 World Cup in Nottingham. New Zealand won both matches too.
For India, the highest winning margin by runs is 34 from the 2018 edition of the tournament.
#1 Rosemary Mair - the youngest New Zealand bowler to take a four-fer in women's T20 World Cup
Most of the destruction in the second innings was led by right-arm medium Rosemary Mair who used brilliant seam movement to snap four wickets for just 19 runs. These were her career best numbers and the second-biggest figures for a Kiwi in the tournament after Nicola Browne's 4/15 against Pakistan in the 2010 edition.
But Mair achieved them at the age of 25 years and 332 days, making her the youngest to pick up a four-fer in the tournament. Browne was 27 when she took the four-fer and Sophie Devine, the only other bowler from the country with a four-fer in the tournament, was 26 when she took 4/22 against the West Indies at the Wankhede in 2016.
