Stand-in captain Smriti Mandhana hailed India's bowling and fielding efforts as they bounced back from a "tough" phase to secure a win against New Zealand in the first ODI of the three-match series.
India's Women's T20 World Cup campaign earlier this month had ended in a disaster as they failed to reach the semifinals following a 58-run defeat to Sophie Devine's New Zealand, who went on to win the tournament.
However, this time, Devine's side fell short of chasing a modest 228, losing to India by 59 runs in the ODI series opener. "It's been a tough 1.5 to 2 months, so it feels good to start with a win.
If you don't believe in cricket, you won't succeed," said Mandhana, who captained in place of Harmanpreet Kaur, during the post-match presentation.