Pratika Rawal’s century played a crucial role in India’s 53-run win over New Zealand in Navi Mumbai (AP Photo/Rajanish Kakade) Navi Mumbai: Dishing out a clinical brand of cricket when it mattered the most, India outplayed New Zealand by 53 runs (via DLS method) to make it into the semifinals of the 2025 Womenâ€s World Cup as the fourth team at the DY Patil Stadium on Thursday night. The prolific opening pair of Smriti Mandhana (109 off 95 balls) and Pratika Rawal (122 off 134 balls) slammed scintillating hundreds, while returning to the XI, Jemimah Rodrigues proceed her worth by smashing a stroke-filled 76 not out (off 55 balls) as India posted 340 for three in 49 overs, feasting on a feeble New Zealand attack.Thanks to some unseasonal rain, there was a 90-minute break and New Zealand, who blundered by deciding to field first in hot and humid conditions, were left to get 325 in 44 overs. Cracking under pressure of a huge chase, the White Ferns finished at 271 for eight, with only Brooke Halliday (81 from 84 balls) and Isabella Gaze not out (65 from 51 balls)offering some fight. To round off a fine outing for her, Mandhana took a brilliant catch at short mid-wicket to send back Amelia Kerr (45).Tournament hosts India will now feature in the second semifinal at the DY Patil Stadium at the same venue on Oct 30. Their final league game against Bangladesh on Sunday is now of academic interest. New Zealand, the reigning Womenâ€s T20 World Cup champs were left to rue their two washed out games in Sri Lanka and a poor show in the crunch match here. The record 25,166 crowd – the highest in this World Cup – at this venue was entrained to some spectacular fireworks with the bat by Indiaâ€s top three, as the Women In Blue, with qualification at stake, blazed way to the highest score of this World Cup on a batting paradise. Mandhana and Pratika shattered multiple records while sharing an epic opening partnership of 212 off 202 balls-their second double century partnership, and seventh century stand in 23 WODIs. It is now the highest opening partnership ever for India in women’s ODIs, and the biggest stand for any wicket for India in Women’s ODI World Cups, going past 184 between Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur against West Indies Women in Hamilton in 2022. The batters had, earlier in the tournament, added 155 against Australia in Visakhapatnam.Mandhana and Rawal have added a staggering 1557 runs as a pair in WODIs in 2025, a number only exceeded by the Sachin Tendulkar-Sourav Ganguly pair – 1635 in 1998 – for highest partnership aggregate in a calendar year in ODIs – Men or Women. The firm of Mandhana and Rawal was ‘launched’ only in December last year when Rawal made her WODI debut against West Indies at Vadodara. However, the numbers that they have already achieved by now are frightening, with many more yet to come. This was the pair’s fourth 150-plus partnership between Smriti Mandhana and Rawal in WODIs, the joint-most by any pair, alongside Belinda Clark-Lisa Keightley and Suzie Bates-Amy Satterthwaite. When Pritika smashed New Zealand captain Sophie Devine for a four over mid-wicket, the 25-year-old Delhi batter became the joint-fastest to 1,000 WODI runs in women’s ODIs, taking just 23 in nings to get to the landmark, highlighting what has been a sensational start to her international career so far. Backed by India’s head coach Amol Muzumdar despite criticism against her strike-rate (82.82), the young batter recorded her second WODI century and her maiden WODI World Cup hundred. Driving, cutting, pulling and flicking the ball with aplomb, Pritika showed she can unleash the big hits too when she smashed two sixes after reaching her century. Rawal and Rodrigues, who smacked a 39-ball fifty after being excluded from the previous match to accommodate a sixth bowler, added 76 in just 58 balls for the second wicket as the White Ferns were sent on a leather hunt by the Women-in-Blue on a featherbed. Taking a liking for Eden Carson, Rodrigues hit her for three fours in the 46th over.Mandhana reached her 14th WODI century off 88 balls with a single, hammering 10 fours and three sixes, showcasing another batting masterclass. Now only former Australian captain Meg Lanning (15) has scored more WODI centuries than her. It was the dashing left-hander’s fifth WODI century this year-only Brits (2025) has scored that many centuries in a calendar year.
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Who was the standout performer in the match against New Zealand?
With the tremendous form that she is in, it’s no surprise that Mandhana is the leading run-scorer in this calendar year, having amassed 1259 runs so far in 2025. She’s also the leading run-scorer in the World Cup (331 runs) with two half-centuries and a hundred. After a slow start in the tournament, Mandhana, who has notched up scores of 80, 88 & 109 in her last three matches, has come into her own at the perfect time for India.Starting cautiously – the duo added just 40 in the first 10 overs – Mandhana and Rawal accelerated thereafter, with Mandhana cutting, driving and pulling with ease, she dominated the insipid New Zealand bowlers. Two of her four sixes came off leggie Amelia Kerr.
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