Mithali Raj's 36-ball 44 and Diana David's four-wicket haul went in vain as India suffered a 11-run loss against New Zealand in their Group B opener of the Women's World Twenty20 in Basseterre, St Kitts, on Thursday.
Diana (4for 27) wreaked havoc with her off-spinners but New Zealand recovered from a mid-innings collapse to post a competitive 139 for eight from their 20 overs.
Chasing the target, India rode on Mithali Raj's 44 and identical 28s from opener Sulakshana Naik and Amita Sharma to keep themselves in the hunt but eventually it was not enough as the Kiwi bowlers restricted them to 129 for eight.
Sian Ruck (2 for 17) and Lucy Doolan (2 for 18) starred for New Zealand with the ball sharing four wickets between them.
Earlier opting to bat, Suzie Bates scored a 30-ball 32 up the order and was ably supported by Nicola Browne (24), Rachel Priest (20) and Sara McGlashan (15) to take New Zealand to 139.
Diana was the star performer for India with the ball, picking up four crucial Kiwi wickets for 24 runs. Reema Malhotra also chipped in with two wickets giving away 25 runs.
Indian eves will take on arch-rivals Pakistan in their next group match on Saturday, while New Zealand will be up against Sri Lanka.
