India win probably set the tone for us: Sophie Devine

Before making it to the 2024 T20 World Cup, New Zealand lost 10 straight Twenty20 International matches. Given that Australia and India were in the same group, there were not many expectations. However, Sophie Devine’s team showed incredible resilience and won the tournament by defeating South Africa by 32 runs in the summit match.

The skipper reflected on the season and said that she couldn’t identify a single pivotal event that led to the comeback, but that the first game against India provided them the confidence and belief they needed to perform well and win the tournament. In the match, the White Ferns batted first, scoring 160 runs and holding the Harmanpreet Kaur-led team to 102.

According to Sophie Devine, the game was the most comprehensive display by New Zealand since

The 2022 T20 World Cup, which provided the squad a lot of confidence to recover from a string of losses.

It is really difficult to identify a single game or moment. It’s likely the most recent India game, though. During the post-match conference, Devine stated, “I believe that was probably the most complete performance we’ve had since the World Cup in South Africa and everything did come together and, as I said, it showed that belief and confidence in this group and to put it together and know that we could do it.”

“It was, in my opinion, a pivotal event for us and aided us in getting to this point tonight. It’s quite difficult to identify because so many factors are involved. Everyone thinks about the games, but many people are unaware of the tremendous amount of effort that goes on every day. But, in my opinion, that India performance most likely set the tone for us when it came to performances,” she remarked.

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On the last night, New Zealand scored 158 runs. South Africa got off to a strong start in the chase but was unable to get going after the powerplay and ultimately lost.