'To put together such a comprehensive performance is something I'm proud of' - Sophie Devine celebrates New Zealand's win versus India

New Zealand captain Sophie Devine led from the front and orchestrated a convincing 58-run win against India in the Women's T20 World Cup 2024 on Friday, October 4, at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Dubai.

Devine's exhilarating knock of 57 not out off 36 balls was laced with seven boundaries as New Zealand posted 160/4 in their first innings after winning the toss and electing to bat first. In the second innings, New Zealand seamers Rosemary Mair and Lea Tahuhu finished with figures of 4/19 and 3/15, respectively, as India were bowled out for 102 with an over to spare.

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After the phenomenal win, Devine lauded her team for putting in a comprehensive performance. She said that the initial target was to get to the 150-run mark but they ended up getting 10 runs extra. The 35-year-old revealed that her team takes inspiration from the men's cricket team.

“I'm just incredibly proud of this group. To put together such a comprehensive performance is something I'm proud of. We've been targetting this game for a long time now. We take inspiration from the Black Caps as well. If you look at our powerplay, we've been getting some terrific starts. That's what we wanted today - to put the pressure on the bowlers. We spoke about 150 being par. Pleased to get 10 runs above that,” said Devine in the post-match press conference.

Probably know them too well having played them recently: Sophie Devine

New Zealand's emphatic victory pushed their net run-rate (NRR) to a very healthy +2.900. Their next encounter is against trans-Tasman rivals Australia and the high-voltage encounter takes place on Tuesday, October 8, at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in Sharjah.

The White Ferns played three T20Is against Australia in Australia last month and were outplayed in all of them. However, after ending a 10-match losing streak, Devine and Co. will hope to get the better of the defending champions and take one step closer to semi-final qualification. Devine opined that her team knows the Aussies quite nicely as they recently engaged in a T20I series against Alyssa Healy's women.

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"Probably know them too well having played them recently. But it's always a big challenge playing Australia," the Wellington-born stated.