Batting heroics, Gayakwad five-for seal India's semi-final berth
Mithali Raj and Veda Krishnamurthy powered India to 265 and their bowlers put in a clinical performance to take India into the semi-final
Mithali Raj and Veda Krishnamurthy powered India to 265 and their bowlers put in a clinical performance to take India into the semi-final
Commentator: Shashank Kishore
So the semi-final line-ups have been confirmed. England v South Africa in Bristol on Tuesday and India v Australia in Derby on Thursday. Varun Shetty's bulletin is up for those wanting to catch up on all that you've missed. Hope you enjoyed our coverage. Eagerly await your company for the semi-finals. Cheers
Mithali Raj is the Player of the match for her 6th ODI century . "Extremely happy," she says. "For a couple of us, this will be the last World Cup, so our first aim was to enter the semi-finals. I've always dreamt of getting runs for the country. The hunger never dies. There were two vital stands, with Harmanpreet Kaur and Veda. After the powerplays, we needed more runs. Her 60-odd was as important as my 100. Harmanpreet's knock was important too. If you're aiming to be in the top four teams in the world, you have to come back after defeats. In the previous World Cups we hadn't done that, so it was important to fire today.
Suzie Bates: We were nowhere near good as we needed to be. That's how it's been in pressure games this tournament. We started really well, but in the middle phase we haven't been able to break partnerships. There's going to be lot of reviews of our team because we were expected to make the semi-finals. It was a good batting track but we wanted to keep them under 250.
4.35pm How quickly did New Zealand unravel? Shocking performance. This is India's first entry into the semi-final of an ICC event since 2010. Mithali Raj, criticised heavily for her slow approach in the previous game, lifted her game several notches to bring up her 6th ODI century. Veda Krishnamurthy injected the much-needed momentum with a 34-ball half-century to lift India past 250. New Zealand had to fight history. They had a forgettable record at big game at an ICC event since 2012. Fair to say they crumbled again.
In cold, overcast conditions, spin has been king queen here in Derby. Mithali Raj isn't an expressive person. She has a big smile on her face. She has every right to be delighted with this effort. On paper, New Zealand were the overwhelming favourites. But cricket is played out on the field.
Rajeshwari Gayakwad: "I was out for six games but I didn't feel bad. We were doing really well, so I was happy. When I got the chance, I just wanted to give it my all. Been working on my fitness, kept running in and out with drinks. Guess that helped! (laughs). This is my best performance, I hadn't taken a five-for previously, so this special.
LM Kasperek b Gayakwad 0 (6m 2b 0x4 0x6) SR: 0.00
Jhulan goes across to offer a few words of advice to the young legspinner
Following the 186-run win against New Zealand in Derby, Mithali Raj has hailed her team as a "new India"
India began their Women's World Cup campaign in Derby in style. On Saturday, they kept their tournament alive at the same venue with an even more heartening performance
India thumped New Zealand by 186 runs to book a place in the tournament's semis for the fourth time
Mithali Raj and Veda Krishnamurthy powered India to 265 and their bowlers put in a clinical performance to take India into the semi-final