Relentless accuracy by the bowlers, led by Radha Yadav, drove India to a comfortable 59-run victory over New Zealand in the first women's ODI in Ahmedabad on Thursday.
India bowled out the Kiwis, who were chasing a gettable 228, for just 168.
Left-arm spinner Yadav finished with figures of 3 for 35.
Debutant pacer Saima Thakor inflicted the first blow with only the second ball of her international career, removing Suzie Bates (1).
Bates feathered an away-swinger to Yastika Bhatia behind the stumps.
But that was only the beginning, as three more wickets fell while New Zealand reached 79. The dismissal of skipper Sophie Devine was the most bizarre.
Devine forgot to drag her feet back behind the crease and stumper Yastika whipped the bails off after bowler Deepti Sharma threw the ball back to her.
New Zealand briefly raised hopes of a comeback through the fifth-wicket partnership between Brook Halliday (39) and Maddy Green (31) that was worth 49 runs, the highest in their innings.
But Thakor returned to dismiss Halliday and break the growing stand. New Zealand innings never recovered after that.
Before that, India too endured a stifling batting experience of their own as they failed to counter the wily Kerr sisters – Amelia and Jess – and were bowled out for a slightly under-par 227 after opting to bat first.
Leg-spinner Amelia (4/42) and medium pacer Jess (3/49) were at the forefront of the Kiwis' charge with the ball. They received able support from off-spinner Eden Carson (2/42).
The bane of the Indian innings was the batters' inability to convert the starts they got.
Deepti Sharma (41), debutant Tejal Hasabnis (42), Shafali Verma (33), Yastika (37) and Jemimah Rodrigues (35) started off the block in fine fashion but were unable to build on.
Hasabnis, in particular, will feel terrible as she was batting so well before getting out to Amelia.
The right-hander danced down the track to the leg-spinner, seeing the flight, but she failed to connect with the ball while attempting an almighty heave. Stumper Isabella Gaze did the rest.
The lone bright spot in India's innings was a 50-plus alliance – 61 between Rodrigues and Hasabnis for the fifth wicket.
Skipper Smriti Mandhana, who led the side after Harmanpreet Kaur was rested due to a niggle, was dismissed in the third over itself.
She gave a simple catch to Georgia Plimmer off Jess as India could not impart the desired early momentum to their innings.
Scoreboard
India
Shafali Verma c Halliday b Carson 33
Smriti Mandhana c Plimmer b Kerr 5
Yastika Bhatia c Carson b Kerr 37
Dayalan Hemalatha st Gaze b Carson 3
Jemimah Rodrigues lbw Bates 35
Tejal Hasabnis st Gaze b Kerr 42
Deepti Sharma b Kerr 41
Arundhati Reddy c sub (Hannah Rowe) b Kerr 14
Radha Yadav c&b Kerr 3
Saima Thakor c sub (Hannah Rowe) b Kerr 2
Renuka Singh not out 0
Extras: (NB-2, W-10) 12
Total (in 44.3 overs): 227
Fall of wickets: 1-12, 2-49, 3-71, 4-91, 5-152, 6-181, 7-218, 8-223, 9-226
Bowling: Jess Kerr 8.3-0-49-3, Molly Penfold 5-0-28-0, Eden Carson 10-0-42-2, Sophie Devine 6-0-30-0, Amelia Kerr 9-1-42-4, Suzie Bates 5-0-30-1, Brooke Halliday 1-0-6-0. MORE PTI
New Zealand
Suzie Bates c Bhatia b Thakor 1
Georgia Plimmer c & b Sharma 25
Lauren Down c Hasabnis b Yadav 26
Sophie Devine run out 2
Brooke Halliday c & b Thakor 39
Maddy Green run out 31
Isabella Gaze c Thakor b Reddy 9
Jess Kerr c Thakor b Yadav 3
Amelia Kerr not out 25
Molly Penfold b Yadav 1
Eden Carson run out 0
Extras: (NB-1, W-5) 6
Total: (in 40.4 overs) 168
Fall of wickets: 1-7, 2-40, 3-46, 4-79, 5-128, 6-128, 7-131, 8-167, 9-168, 10-168.
Bowling: Renuka Singh 7-0-30-0, Saima Thakor 7-0-26-2, Deepti Sharma 9-0-35-1, Arundhati Reddy 6-0-21-1, Radha Yadav 8.4- 0-35-3, Dayalan Hemalatha 2-0-11-0, Shafali Verma 1-0-10-0.
