Frances Mackay

Recently India skipper Mithali Raj had questioned the concern about strike rate and stressed on the need to 'play according to the situation'. In their second Women's World Cup outing against New Zealand in Hamilton on Thursday, the Indian batters had to knuckle down, rotate the strike and up the strike rate. They failed on all three counts and slumped to a 62-run defeat in a lop-sided contest.

As the BCCI announced the successful bidders for the five Women's Premier League teams, overseas stars hailed the "landmark day", saying the development will impact female sports across the globe. The BCCI earned a collective bid of Rs 4669.99 crore from the sale of the five clubs.

Smarting from a heavy loss in the final one-dayer, the Indian women's team will aim for a solid showing in the opening encounter of the three-match T20 series against New Zealand, beginning on Wednesday.

Suzie Bates compiled her 12th ODI century and became the first New Zealand batter, and fourth overall, to reach 5,000 runs in the format as the hosts beat Pakistan by 71 runs to end an otherwise disappointing Women's World Cup campaign on a positive note here on Saturday.

Indian batting coach Shiv Sunder Das on Thursday said rotation of strike is a cause of worry and they might have to rethink the team's batting order following its 62-run defeat against New Zealand in the ICC women's World Cup.

Hosts New Zealand registered their first win of the tournament as they inflicted a nine-wicket defeat on Bangladesh in a rain-curtailed ICC Women's World Cup match here on Monday.

Captain Mithali Raj had no hesitation in admitting that top order's performance hasn't been up to the mark as India didn't have "a batter to take the game deep" in their 62-run defeat against New Zealand in the ICC Women's World Cup.

New Zealand, who have dominated the Indians throughout this summer, didn't let anything change in a familiar script by first scoring a healthy 260 for 9. They then choked the 'Women in Blue' before bowling them out for only 198 in 46.4 overs. India have now slipped to fifth among eight teams after this defeat.

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.

The series already out of its grasp, a desperate Indian women's cricket team will look to snap the losing streak and salvage some pride by sorting its bowling and fielding woes in the fourth ODI against New Zealand on Tuesday.

Having pummelled arch-rivals Pakistan in a one-sided lung-opener, India will face an infinitely tougher challenge in hosts New Zealand and would endeavour to put up an improved batting show in their second ICC Women's World Cup league stage game here on Thursday.

India will be desperate to gain some momentum heading into the World Cup but for that, their bowlers will have to raise their game as they seek to stop New Zealand from completing a 5-0 whitewash in the fifth women's ODI here on Thursday.