New Zealand is a big obstacle in front of India in the knockout phase. Be it cricket or hockey. Batting first, New Zealand set a target of 108 runs in front of Shefali Burma in the Women’s Under-19 World Cup. If Shefali Verma can score that run, India will reach the final.

New Zealand defeated India in the men’s semi-final in the 2019 World Cup. The Kiwis also defeated India in the final of the Test Championship in 2021. India had to lose against New Zealand in the recent Hockey World Cup. Seeing New Zealand in the Women’s Under-19 World Cup, there was fear in the minds of many.

Shefali won the toss in the semi-final and sent New Zealand to bat. The power of the Indian bowlers can be seen from the start. Titus Sadhura took 2 wickets out of 5 runs. New Zealand’s Georgia Plimer scored 35 runs. That is their team’s highest run. He and Isabella Gej put on a partnership of 37 runs. Apart from that no one got a run. Parashvi Chopra has the most wickets among Indian bowlers. He took three wickets. Archana Devi, Shefali Verma, Mannat Kashyap, and Titus took one wicket each. New Zealand scored only 107 runs but batted the entire 20 overs. They scored 107 runs losing 9 wickets. Two runs out. Batting in front of an easy target, India lost Shefali Verma early on. However, that did not stop India’s run pace.