‘Thanks for Not Saying I’m Old’: Sophie Devine Stays Cool as New Zealand Face Must-Win Clash Against India
As New Zealand prepare for a do-or-die World Cup clash against India, captain Sophie Devine remains her unflappable self — calm, witty, and characteristically deadpan. On the eve of the high-stakes encounter at the DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai, Devine brushed off talk of pressure and experience with a smile.
“Thanks for not saying I’m old. I appreciate that — ‘experienced’ is nice,” she quipped when asked about her near two-decade international career and how it might help in Thursday’s pressure game.
New Zealand’s campaign has stuttered — two losses, two washouts, and just one win — leaving them needing victory to stay alive. Yet, Devine insists the White Ferns are embracing their status as underdogs.
“We’ll wear the underdog badge with pride, as Kiwis often do,” she said. “India are still the favourites, no doubt. But these are the moments you want to be playing cricket in — a pretty much knockout game against India in India at a World Cup.”
Empathy for India’s Pressure
Devine also extended empathy to the hosts, who have come under scrutiny after three straight defeats.
“In all honesty, I can’t begin to imagine the pressure the Indian team is under,” she said. “When we played our home World Cup in 2022, the expectation was overwhelming at times. For India, with a billion people watching, it must be immense.”
Despite India’s home advantage, the numbers slightly tilt in New Zealand’s favour — India’s win-loss ratio against them in ODI World Cups stands at just 0.2, their lowest against any side. But Devine wasn’t getting carried away.
“Ask me after the game tomorrow,” she said with a grin. “Everyone starts on zero.”
A Learning Experience for the Youngsters
For Devine, the challenge of playing in front of a packed Indian crowd is as much an opportunity as a test.
“It’s such a cool opportunity,” she said. “This is why you play international cricket — to be under the most intense pressure and see how you stand up. It’s a great chance to showcase not just the women’s game, but New Zealand cricket.”
The skipper admitted rustiness is a concern — New Zealand haven’t completed a full game in nearly 12 days — but refused to worry about the forecast of more rain disrupting play.
“I’m not surprised, to be honest,” she shrugged. “I expect there to be rain everywhere we go at the moment. But you can’t control the weather — we’ll deal with it if it comes.”
Banking on Amelia Kerr’s Local Experience
Thursday’s game will be New Zealand’s first at the DY Patil Stadium, but they’ll lean on Amelia Kerr’s experience at the venue. Kerr has played six matches there with the Mumbai Indians in the Women’s Premier League (WPL).
“Everyone expects Melie to perform — she’s played with Harman [Harmanpreet Kaur] and knows a lot of the Indian players well,” Devine said. “Hopefully she’s got a few fans in the crowd cheering for New Zealand and her.”
As always, Devine ended her press conference with trademark humour and composure.
“We’ll let the Indian public and media give their team enough pressure,” she said. “We’ll just keep going about our thing.”
New Zealand will hope that calm confidence translates into a performance strong enough to keep their World Cup hopes alive.