New Delhi, Oct 5 : India's Women's T20 World Cup campaign began sourly as they suffered a 58-run defeat to New Zealand in Dubai on Friday. The loss, a major setback for India's semi-final hopes in a tough group, was marked by early fielding lapses and batting struggles. However, fielding coach Munish Bali wasted no time in lifting the team's morale, urging the players to stay positive and focus on bouncing back against Pakistan in their next outing.

Bali kept the mood light in the dressing room while presenting the customary fielding medal, which has become a ritual in both the Indian men's and women's teams at major tournaments. Jemimah Rodrigues was awarded the medal for her electric presence on the field, with Bali praising her and several others for their efforts in trying circumstances.

"Tough luck, girls," Bali said in a video posted by bcci.tv. "I know it was not the start we wanted, but we will bounce back. The way we fielded, if we erase the sixth over where we made two errors, after that, we came back into the match. Well done!"

India's fielding had a rocky start when wicketkeeper Richa Ghosh dropped a simple catch off New Zealand opener Suzie Bates in the sixth over. But despite the slip-up, the team rallied, with Jemimah Rodrigues, Smriti Mandhana, Pooja Vastrakar, and Shreyanka Patil diving and guarding the boundary to save critical runs. Bali highlighted their efforts, singling out Mandhana and Patil for their brilliant catches and Vastrakar for her diving stops.

"Smriti Mandhana and Shreyanka Patil, excellent catch. Pooja Vastrakar, excellent efforts, fielding around and diving. Three brilliant saves on the boundary. Like how we bounced back in fielding, let's bounce back in the next game," he added, urging the team to refocus ahead of their clash against arch-rivals Pakistan.

New Zealand, led by captain Sophie Devine's explosive 37-ball 56, posted a formidable total of 160, capitalising on India's early fielding errors. India's chase, however, faltered from the outset as spinner Eden Carson removed both openers, Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana, setting the tone for a difficult innings.

Harmanpreet Kaur, returning to bat at number three for the first time in 18 months, managed only 15 off 14 balls before being dismissed inside the powerplay. The loss of India's top three batters left the team reeling, and despite flashes of resistance, they were bowled out for 102 in 19 overs.

The New Zealand bowlers were clinical, with Rosemary Mair leading the attack, taking four wickets for 19 runs, while Lea Tahuhu claimed three wickets for 15. Eden Carson's early breakthroughs stifled India's batting lineup, which appeared to struggle with depth and balance. India's decision to go in a batter short further compounded their problems, as they lost six wickets for just 60 runs, unable to mount a serious challenge.

With the loss, India faces mounting pressure ahead of their next match on Sunday, October 6, against a buoyant Pakistan side fresh off a confidence-boosting win over Asian champions Sri Lanka.

/IANS