On the occasion of the critical match of the Women's Cricket World Cup, New Zealand captain Sophie Devine said on Wednesday that she could understand how huge the pressure must be on India. She defined the encounter as "almost a quarterfinal." Devine, however, maintained that New Zealand would not be distracted by India's favourite tag and would instead concentrate on their own game.
The game is a significant one with India being able to secure the last four and qualify for the semifinals if they win the match, whereas New Zealand will only have a chance of going through if they triumph in both of their last games.
Embracing the underdog role, says Sophie Devine
“In all honesty, I can’t imagine the type of pressure the Indian team is under. When we played a home World Cup, we felt the weight of performing in front of our own crowd—it was overwhelming at times,” Devine said. “With a billion people watching, the expectations are unimaginable. We have real empathy for them, but we’ll wear the underdog badge with pride.”
Devine stressed that New Zealand will focus on what it can control, including ignoring external distractions like weather predictions. “We know the pressure India is under, but we’re going to stick to what we do well as a Kiwi side. This is basically a quarterfinal, and we’re ready to step up,” she added.
The experienced Devine, alongside Suzie Bates, said leadership will come through leading by example. “We need to perform and set the tone with our actions. We’ll lean on each other, especially knowing 99.9% of the crowd will be supporting India,” she said.
With DY Patil Stadium hosting only its second women’s ODI, Devine expects a high-scoring contest. “The pitch looks fantastic, the outfield is like a carpet, and it should be a lightning-quick, high-scoring venue. It should be a great atmosphere if it’s sold out,” she added.
