Women's T2O WC: India look to bounce back after NZ defeat, says Jemimah Rodrigues

India's women's cricket team faced a crucial test of character as they aim to recover from a significant loss to New Zealand in the T20 World Cup. Jemimah Rodrigues stressed the importance of resilience as the team seeks to reignite their campaign following a disappointing 58-run defeat in Dubai on Friday.

In a tightly contested Group A, dubbed the 'group of death,' India's semi-final prospects hang in the balance after New Zealand outplayed them. Australia, defending champions and title favorites, begin their journey on Saturday against Sri Lanka, while Pakistan shocked Sri Lanka in their opening match in Sharjah. South Africa also laid down a marker in Group B by defeating West Indies by 10 wickets, sitting at the top with Bangladesh.

India, bowled out for just 102 in pursuit of 161, saw no player surpass captain Harmanpreet Kaur's score of 15. Only five Indian batters reached double figures, including Rodrigues with 13. For New Zealand, seamers Rosemary Mair and Lea Tahuhu wreaked havoc, taking 4 for 19 and 3 for 15, respectively.

Rodrigues acknowledged the disappointing performance but urged her team to move forward, knowing every game from here is a must-win.

"Today would be the game we would like to forget, because this is a World Cup," Rodrigues said. "We need to keep moving on and keep picking ourselves up. We can't stay stuck at this game. We need to pick ourselves up, and I think that will show the character of this team.

"We know every game from here is so crucial for us. We know that, but at the same time, we're going to go one game at a time and just make sure we stick to our process and do our job well. If we can do that, I think we play our best cricket, I think we can win matches."

New Zealand's aggressive approach laid the foundation for their victory, with an opening 67-run partnership between Suzie Bates and Georgia Plimmer, followed by captain Sophie Devine's unbeaten 57 off 36 balls. It was a much-needed comeback for New Zealand, who had a difficult 2023, struggling against top teams like Australia and South Africa.

Rodrigues admitted New Zealand's powerplay attack wasn't unexpected but regretted missed chances. "They came out with a lot of intent," she said. "We did create opportunities, but unfortunately we didn't make the most of them. Then the way we came back after the start was … I mean, not many positives in this game, but still, going forward, we need to have the right approach because the tournament is not over. We need to take some positives from this game and a lot of learnings from this game."

While temperatures in Dubai have been challenging, Rodrigues downplayed the conditions as a factor, emphasising that the team is well-prepared and familiar with such heat, given their experience in India.

A controversial moment in the 14th over involving New Zealand’s Amelia Kerr briefly unsettled India.

"It's not the easiest of conditions, it's really hot here in Dubai, but I think we've got enough time to get used to the conditions so we don't give an excuse, like it's too hot or whatever it is. We just need to do our job and win the match for the team. So when it comes to conditions, I think we are very used to the conditions. It's got better from the first day we've come here. So I think we are very prepared for this and all of us stay in India, so we are very familiar to such conditions."

After a miscommunication during a run-out attempt, the ball was declared dead, sparking heated discussions between Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur and the umpires. Despite this, Kerr was dismissed two balls later, and Rodrigues praised her team’s ability to move past the situation. "We accepted the umpire's decision and moved on. We got her out soon after, so it worked for us."