DEVINE ACT: SOPHIE.TAHUHU STUN INDIA

White Ferns captain cracks unbeaten half-century before pacer runs riot to hand Harmanpreet Co a 58-run defeat on Friday

- KALYANI MANGALE

THE first ball Asha Sobhana bowled to Suzie Bates felt more like a move on a chessboard. A short ball wide of off stump, for which Bates came down the wicket before realising the turn, and nudged it towards cover. Experience from both ends but at different levels of course. Bates, playing her ninth T20 World Cup, while Asha, on her ICC event debut.

Eventually the leg-spinner did give India the breakthrough the desperately needed with the wicket of Georgia Plimmer, who was batting with the strike rate of 150 and New Zealand were cruising. She gave away just 22 runs in her four overs, with Sophie Devine's fighting fifty taking the White Ferns to 160/4.

Almost an hour later, Asha was in the middle with the bat at the Dubai International Stadium, with the scoreboard reading 90/8 as India were chasing 161 in their opening game of the tournament. India would eventually fall short by 58 runs as Lea Tahuhu (3/15) and Rosemary Mair (4/19) ran through the batting line-up.

Not the kind of start Asha or India would have wanted in their World Cup campaign.