India escapes a whitewash against New Zealand.

Harmanpreet Kaur hit a crucial half-century to help India overcome New Zealand in the series-ending fifth ODI here on Thursday. The Indian bowlers, who had struggled earlier in the game, ultimately came together to restrict New Zealand to 251 for nine in 50 overs.

Harmanpreet Singh’s 63 off 66 balls and Smriti Mandhana’s 71 off 84 balls helped India reach the goal in 46 overs. Mithali Raj, the captain, stayed undefeated on 57 off 66 balls.

After losing the one-off T20 and the first four ODIs, India desperately needed a win to generate momentum heading into the ODI World Cup next month.

On Thursday, the spinners, who failed to find breakthroughs, shared seven wickets.

Deepti Sharma, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, and Sneh Rana each grabbed two wickets, while pacer Meghna Singh was impressed in her five overs.

Mandhana, who had missed the first three ODIs and the T20 owing to an extended quarantine, saw some action in the middle. In her 84-ball innings, the ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year hit nine fours.

Harmanpreet must be overjoyed after getting her maiden fifty in over a year.

She was dismissed from the previous game due to a protracted dry spell, and she received harsh criticism from former teammates, especially ex-captain Diana Edulji.

He expertly used the sweep stroke to gather a slew of boundaries before finishing with a pull shot to achieve the half-century mark.

If India wants to compete for the global crown, it must maintain consistent performances like the one it displayed on Thursday.

We’ve improved in the previous few games, which is a good indication heading into the World Cup. It was critical to have adequate preparation before the main competition. Due to the increasing number of Omicron cases, we were unable to secure the camps in India, “Mithali stated during the post-match presentation.

It looked like the batting conditions were good today, but the bowlers did admirable work. Our fielding is an area where we need to improve. When I retire after this tournament, I will see that the squad has become significantly stronger with the addition of new players, “she continued.