India women take on New Zealand women in a must-win game for either team
A defeat for either side could dent their hopes of semi-final qualification
The two teams have faced each other 57 times in WODIs, starting in 1978
India and New Zealand meet in a crucial ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025 league match at the Dr DY Patil Sports Academy in Navi Mumbai on Thursday, October 23.
Australia, England, and South Africa are already through to the semi-finals, leaving only one spot. With India and New Zealand locked on equal points and clinging to [slim hopes of a top-four finish], both teams will treat this fixture as a virtual quarter-final.
Heading into this match, India sit fourth on the points table with four points from five matches and a positive net run rate. New Zealand are fifth, also on four points but with a negative net run rate.
The winners of the match will enter their final fixture with boosted confidence. India will then take on already eliminated Bangladesh, while New Zealand's final league match is against undefeated England, both on Sunday.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | NR | Pts | NRR |
| 1 | South Africa | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 0.276 |
| 2 | Australia | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 1.818 |
| 3 | England | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 1.49 |
| 4 | India | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0.526 |
| 5 | New Zealand | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | -0.245 |
| 6 | Sri Lanka | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 4 | -1.035 |
| 7 | Bangladesh | 6 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 2 | -0.578 |
| 8 | Pakistan | 6 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 2 | -2.651 |
For the record, India's best performances in the Women's ODI World Cup came in 2005 and 2017 when they finished runners-up to Australia and England, respectively. New Zealand's finest hour remains their title win in 2000 as tournament hosts, and they were runners-up in the 1993 and 2009 editions, losing both times to England.
ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025: India's Performance So Far
India's form has been inconsistent to the extent that the team is now being labelled chokers by a certain section of fans and pundits. After starting the tournament with two wins, against Sri Lanka by 59 runs (DLS method) and Pakistan by 88 runs, Harmanpreet Kaur & Co. have now lost three consecutive matches, all by small margins.
Smriti Mandhana, Harmanpreet, and Deepti Sharma have been among the key performers, but the team's fragile middle-order and death bowling have been exposed in tight finishes -- by South Africa and Australia in three-wicket defeats, and a four-run loss to England in their most recent outing.
That result confirmed England's qualification for the semi-finals and left India needing wins in their two remaining matches to secure a top-four spot, without depending on other results and net run rate.
ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025: New Zealand's Performance So Far
New Zealand, meanwhile, have had a rain-disrupted campaign with two of their five matches so far ending in no result. The former champions began their campaign with back-to-back defeats against Australia by 89 runs and South Africa by six wickets.
They bounced back with a massive 100-run win over Bangladesh, but the following fixtures against Sri Lanka and Pakistan were reduced to no results due to rain. A negative net run rate of -0.245 puts them at a disadvantage compared to India's +0.526.
The White Ferns squad boasts many match-winners, such as skipper Sophie Devine, all-rounders Amelia Kerr and Suzie Bates, bowlers Lea Tahuhu and Jess Kerr, etc., but they are evidently struggling to build momentum due to rain interruptions.
India Women Vs New Zealand Women ODI Head-To-Head Record
The two teams have faced each other 57 times in WODIs, starting in 1978. New Zealand hold the edge with 34 wins, while India have won 22 matches. One match ended in a tie.
In their most recent ODI meeting, last October, India women chased down New Zealand women's 232 all out for a six-wicket win with 34 balls to spare at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad.
India and New Zealand have crossed paths multiple times in Women's ODI World Cup history, mostly in the group stage. For Indian fans, a standout encounter happened in the 2017 edition at Derby, where India thrashed New Zealand by 186 runs to secure a semi-final spot. Captain Mithali Raj scored a century (109), while Rajeshwari Gayakwad claimed five wickets.
Their semi-final meeting in 2005 saw India post 204/6, anchored by Mithali's unbeaten 91, before sealing a 40-run victory. In the 2000 semi-final meeting, New Zealand registered a dominant nine-wicket win: bowling India out for 117 and chasing the target down in just 26.5 overs.
India Vs New Zealand, ICC Women's World Cup 2025 Squads
India Squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Smriti Mandhana, Pratika Rawal, Harleen Deol, Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh, Yastika Bhatia, Renuka Singh Thakur, Deepti Sharma, Sneh Rana, Kranti Goud, Shree Charani, Radha Yadav, Amanjot Kaur, and Arundhati Reddy.
New Zealand Squad: Maddy Green, Georgia Plimmer, Izzy Gaze, Polly Inglis, Bella James, Sophie Devine (c), Suzie Bates, Brooke Halliday, Amelia Kerr, Eden Carson, Bree Illing, Jess Kerr, Rosemary Mair, Hannah Rowe, and Lea Tahuhu.
