'We wanted to win this series at any cost': Harmanpreet Kaur after defeating New Zealand women in third ODI

TOI Sports Desk / TIMESOFINDIA.COM / Updated: Oct 29, 2024, 22:14 IST

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India's women's cricket team, captained by Harmanpreet Kaur, clinched the ODI series against New Zealand with a six-wicket win, thanks to Smriti Mandhana's 100 runs and Kaur's unbeaten 59. The team aims to enhance their fielding performance after overcoming challenges in the T20 World Cup.

'We wanted to win this series at any cost': Harmanpreet Kaur after defeating New Zealand women in third ODI

Harmanpreet Kaur and Smriti Mandhana (X Photo)

India's women's cricket team, led by Harmanpreet Kaur, aimed to win the three-match ODI series against New Zealand "at any cost" following their poor performance in the recent T20 World Cup. The series was tied 1-1 entering the final match.
Smriti Mandhana played a key role, scoring 100 runs off 122 balls, making it her 8th ODI century. Harmanpreet Kaur remained not out on 59, helping India achieve a six-wicket victory while chasing a target of 233.
"It was important for us as we wanted to win this series at any cost," Kaur said during the post-match press conference. She praised Mandhana's performance, saying, "Would like to give credit to Smriti, she was struggling early on but she managed to get runs."

Kaur emphasized the team's determination and discussed the need to improve their fielding. "Always talking about our fielding, that's an area we need to keep working hard. We are working hard but just waiting for the results till the time we can be the best fielding side."
Mandhana acknowledged the team's challenges in recent weeks after their disappointing T20 World Cup campaign. "Had to be little hard on myself early on and wait for the first 10 overs to go before taking the game on," she stated.

New Zealand captain Sophie Devine accepted the defeat and highlighted the impact of losing top player Amelia Kerr to injury. "We were down to just 12 players after losing our best player (Amelia Kerr) to injury. In difficult conditions, we did really well so very proud of our group."
India now looks forward to continuing their improvements and building on their recent success.

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TOI Sports Desk

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