All-rounder Jhulan Goswami’s performance played an instrumental role in the team’s victory, while left-arm orthodox Ekta Rana and medium-pacer Harmanpreet Kaur picked up two wickets each.

The Indian team elected to bat first at M Chinnaswamy Stadium, the Mithali Raj-led side lost wickets at regular intervals, but Jhulan struck a defiant 57 off 67 deliveries to help the hosts to 142 all out in 44.3 overs.

This was Jhulan’s maiden ODI fifty, which was accompanied by six fours and one six.

Kiwi medium-pacer Lea Tahuhu, left-armer Morna Nielsen and debutant off-spinner Leigh Kasperek bagged three wickets each.

The series is part of the eight-team ICC Women’s Championship in which only the results of first three matches count towards qualification for the World Cup. The top four teams will qualify based on points for the 2017 World Cup while the other four teams will be go through another set of qualifying matches.

Indian team is currently lying at the bottom of the table on three points, and just one behind New Zealand. To jump to the fourth spot, India needs to win first 3 matches.

The New Zealand batswomen were kept in control by the disciplined Indian attack led by off-spinner Sneh Rana, who picked up three wickets, as the visitors crashed to 125 all out in 45.3 overs

Till now, India have not lost the two bilateral home series against New Zealand who drew 3-3 in 1984-85, and lost 1-4 in 2003-04 when the current head coach Haidee Tiffen led the New Zeland squad.

Team: India : Mithali Raj (captain), Ekta Bisht, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Jhulan Goswami, Harmanpreet Kaur, Veda Krishnamurthy, Smriti Mandhana, Niranjana Nagarajan, Shikha Pandey, Kalpana R., Sneh Rana, Poonam Raut, Deepti Sharma, M.D. Thirushkamini, Poonam Yadav.

New Zealand : Suzie Bates (captain), Kate Broadmore, Sophie Devine, Natalie Dodd, Maddy Green, Georgia Guy, Leigh Kasperek, Morna Nielsen, Katie Perkins, Anna Peterson, Rachel Priest, Hannah Rowe, Amy Satterthwaite, Lea Tahuhu.