India clinches Final Semi-Final Spot in Women’s Cricket World Cup with Victory Over New Zealand
India secured the last semi-final berth in the Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 with a win over New Zealand, bouncing back from a mid-tournament slump. Entering the tournament as favorites alongside Australia and England, on home soil, India initially enjoyed cozy victories against Sri Lanka and Pakistan.However, they then suffered consecutive defeats to South Africa, Australia, and England, narrowly missing victory in each match.
Against South Africa,India faltered despite reducing them to 81-5 while chasing 252. They failed to defend 330 against Australia, having earlier stumbled to 36-6 late in their innings. A close contest against England saw them fall short by four runs while chasing 289, needing just 62 runs from the final 10 overs.
their fortunes reversed with a dominant batting performance against New Zealand. Smriti Mandhana reached 50 for the third consecutive innings, while Shafali Rawal added a century to her earlier half-century against Australia. Jemimah Rodrigues, promoted up the order, also scored freely, becoming the seventh Indian player to pass 50 at the tournament.
India’s batters combined for 42 boundaries and maintained a scoring rate of just under seven an over. Despite a promising start to New Zealand’s chase, with three top-order wickets falling within the frist 12 overs, India’s fielding lacked the same intensity as their batting display, dropping catches and conceding boundaries.
Although Katie Gaze’s late hitting didn’t threaten India’s victory, the performance fell short of the decisive statement needed to solidify their position as strong title contenders.
