'If you don't believe in cricket, you won't succeed' - Smriti Mandhana breathes sigh of relief after India wins first ODI

India defeated New Zealand by 59 runs in the first ODI of the three-match series at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Thursday, October 24. This win won't heal the wounds that New Zealand inflicted on India with a 58-run victory in the Women's T20 World Cup earlier this month. However, it will make the Indian contingent feel a little better as they look to bounce back from their first-round exit in the marquee event.

Smriti Mandhana captained the side in the first ODI in the absence of Harmanpreet Kaur, who was ruled out due to an unspecified niggle. Shafali Verma, Yastika Bhatia, Jemimah Rodrigues, Tejal Hasabnis, and Deepti Sharma played crucial knocks but couldn't convert them into substantial scores as India were bowled out for 227 with 33 balls to spare.

Amelia Kerr, who was the Player of the Tournament in the T20 World Cup and took her team to the title, bowled a magnificent spell, accounting for four Indian wickets. The Women in Blue didn't have a big score on the board but the bowlers turned up and showed their mettle to bowl out the White Ferns for 168.

After the match, Mandhana acknowledged the fact that it has been a tough couple of months for the Indian team. However, the southpaw was happy with how the team performed on Thursday.

"It's been a tough 1.5 to 2 months, so it feels good to start with a win. If you don't believe in cricket, you won't succeed," said Mandhana at the post-match presentation.

Saima set the tone for us with Suzie's wicket: Smriti Mandhana

Mandhana said that the team emphasised their fielding in the quest to add 20-30 runs more to their "under-par" score. She also praised the 28-year-old Saima Thakor for her performance with the new ball.

"We had a talk that we were under-par but if we field well, we could add 20-30 runs. Saima set the tone for us with Suzie's wicket," Smriti said of the debutant speedster, who finished with figures of 2/26 in seven overs.

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Radha Yadav was the pick of the Indian bowlers as she bagged three wickets for 35 runs in 8.4 overs. After her solid knock with the bat, Deepti chipped in with the ball as she bowled nine overs economically and picked up the important wicket of opener Georgia Plimmer.