Down steps up as New Zealand seal series win

India scored their highest WODI total in New Zealand, bettering their 270 from three days ago by nine runs. They still ended on the same side of the result as Lauren Down's counter-attacking 52-ball 64* allowed the hosts to recover from a middle-overs wobble to record the second-highest successful chase in the format's history. New Zealand, the hosts of the forthcoming World Cup, also clinched the five-match series with two games to go.

India appeared to have wrested control of the game when they had the hosts at 171 for 6 in the 35th over. Down, brought in for this game, combined with keeper-bat Katey Martin for a brisk counter-attacking stand, the pair adding 76 off just 69 to keep the hosts in the game. Martin (35) fell to Deepti Sharma with a little more than four overs to spare and the equation swelled to 18 off 12 but a 12-run 49th over from Jhulan Goswami effectively sealed the game in favour of the home side before Down clubbed Deepti for a straight six to rubber-stamp a memorable chase.

Incidentally, it was the veteran Goswami who had initially put India in pole position to secure their first win of the tour. Generating appreciable nip off the John Davies Oval surface, she dismissed Sophie Devine and Suzie Bates in her opening spell. The former was pinged LBW while the latter's defences were breached even more comprehensively for the woodwork behind her to be rearranged.

Goswami should have had Amy Satterthwaite out for a duck but Deepti put down a relatively straightforward chance at gully.

As in the previous game, India were left to rue their fielding mis-step. Satterthwaite combined with the centurion from last game, Amelia Kerr, to put on an excellent recovery stand. The pair added 103 runs with the left-handed Satterthwaite using the sweep shot to great effect to put India's spinners off their length. Mithali Raj was forced to bring back Goswami into the attack, a move that paid dividends when she had Satterthwaite dismissed for 59.

India stormed back into the contest, with Sneh Rana getting Amelia Kerr out for 69 which was followed by a couple of quick strikes in succession including that of a hamstrung Lea Tahuhu. It left New Zealand looking at their new No.6, Down, for an unlikely revival. Her cause was helped by the fact that Goswami had only two overs left and was being saved for the death.

She and Martin feasted on the spin trio of Deepti, Sneh Rana and Ekta Bisht, who between them conceded 172 in 29.1 overs. Down, who was exemplary with her footwork against spin, had a couple of lucky shaves of her own. She was put down while on 10 by Rana and then on 13, survived a vociferous appeal for caught behind against Deepti.

Even accounting for Down's excellent counter-punch, India should have had a total that was beyond New Zealand's reach on this day. Having been put in to bat, the make-shift opening pair of Sabbhineni Meghana and Shafali Varma plundered 86 from the first 10 overs, the former outscoring her partner with a 33-ball half-century. Meghana, filling in for Smriti Mandhana, fell for 61 with the score on 100. Shafali added a brisk stand with Yastika Bhatia but failed to kick on after a 50, falling to an excellent catch from Suzie Bates.

India's middle-order though couldn't capitalise on the great start and the innings quickly lost momentum. Harmanpreet Kaur, battling form, was run-out after pushing a ball back to the bowler, Frankie Mackay, who flung the ball quickly to the keeper to catch the batter short. When Mithali edged an away swinger from Hannah Rowe, India slipped to 187 for 5. Deepti ensured against a collapse and kept the scoreboard ticking with an enterprising knock of 69* which took India to a strong total but at least 20 short of what would have been a winning one.

India, who made a raft of changes to their side including handing a debut to Renuka Singh Thakur, have two more games in this series to complete their fine-tuning ahead of the World Cup.

Brief scores: India Women 279 in 49.3 overs (Deepti Sharma 69*, Sabbhineni Meghana 61; Rosemary Mair 2-43) New Zealand Women lost to New Zealand Women 280/7 in 49.1 overs (Amelia Kerr 67, Lauren Down 64*, Amy Satterthwaite 59; Jhulan Goswami 3-47) by three wickets