After three consecutive defeats, the Indian women’s team pulled off a 53-run (DLS) win against New Zealand to qualify for the semifinals of the ICC Women’s World Cup.

The ‘vibe’ at DY Patil Stadium, which the Indian coach had talked about on the eve of the match, worked wonders for the Indian batters as openers Pratika Rawal (122 off 134 balls, with 13 boundaries and two sixes) and Smriti Mandhana (109 off 95 balls, with 10 boundaries and four sixes) went on a rampage. The duo raised the highest opening partnership (212 runs) ever recorded in the World Cup for India, despite making the slowest start in the ongoing tournament.

From 40 runs in the first 10 overs, the Indian batters touched 340 (in the revised 49 overs) — the best total in the tournament’s history. However, the target was a

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