Harmanpreet Kaur stunned as India's women's T20 World Cup opener ends in defeat: 'Not the start we envisioned'

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Rosemary Mair's impressive four-wicket haul led New Zealand to bowl out India for just 102 runs in 19 overs. Lea Tahuhu also made valuable contributions with two wickets, while Eden Carson chipped in with two dismissals as well.

Also Read | ‘Virat Kohli one of the greatest to grace cricket, Babar Azam yet to make a name’: Pakistan great Mudassar NazarWhat did Harmanpreet Kaur say?

Speaking after her side's defeat, India captain Harmanpreet appeared to be shellshocked and admitted that it 'wasn't the start' her side was expecting.

"We didn't play our best cricket today. Going forward we have to think what areas we have to improve. Every game now is important and we have to play our best cricket. We created chances, it's not like that we didn't create. They played better cricket than us, no doubt about that. This is such a high stage where you can't make these mistakes," she said.

"We have chased 160-170 many times. But on that pitch .. it was 10-15 runs too many. At one stage, the way they started, I was thinking it would be 180. This wasn't the start we were expecting (in this tournament)," she added.

The match began with New Zealand captain Devine winning the toss and opting to bat. Suzie Bates (27) and Georgia Plimmer (34) gave New Zealand a strong start, and then Devine's unbeaten half-century (57* off 36 balls) wrapped up the first innings, as they reached 160/4.

After the match, Devine hailed her teammates for a strong start. "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. Probably know them too well having played them recently. But it's always a big challenge playing Australia," she said.

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