India defeated New Zealand by 53 runs at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai Thursday night, advancing them to the semifinals of the ICC Women's ODI Cricket World Cup. In the rain-affected encounter, Indian openers Pratika Rawal and Smriti Mandhana, who were put in to bat first, scored incredible hundreds to lead India to a huge 340 for 3 in 49 overs. They shared a historic opening partnership of 212 runs, the most for India in the history of the Women's World Cup, with Mandhana scoring 109 and Rawal making 122.
With Brooke Halliday leading the way with 81 runs, New Zealand managed 271 for 8 in the allocated overs while chasing a revised DLS target of 325 from 44 overs.India currently has three wins and six points, joining South Africa, England, and Australia in the semifinals.