2:09 AM IST & 9:39 PM Local Time: A brilliant all-round performance from India Women here in the opening game of the series as they outclass England Women with a commanding 38-run victory. The Women in Blue were dominant in all departments and have now taken a 1-0 lead in the three-match T20I series.
Earlier in the evening, England won the toss and elected to field first here in Chelmsford. The decision worked brilliantly right away for the hosts as Lauren Bell struck twice in the opening over to remove both the Indian openers, Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma. However, Issy Wong leaked 27 runs in the second over and that immediately shifted the momentum back towards India Women's Cricket Team. India capitalized beautifully and raced to 73/2 at the end of the Powerplay, which is now their highest-ever Powerplay score against England in Women’s T20Is.
It was a magnificent counterattacking effort from Jemimah Rodrigues and Yastika Bhatia as the duo stitched together a superb 126-run stand off just 76 balls for the third wicket. Both batters kept the scoreboard moving with aggressive stroke play and completely took the game away from England during the middle overs. However, both of them fell in the same over which gave the hosts a small opening to bounce back into the contest. From a commanding 133/2, India lost momentum slightly in the latter half of the innings with wickets falling regularly. A valuable late cameo from Deepti Sharma, who scored 22 off just 13 balls, helped India finish with a strong total of 188/7 from their 20 overs. Lauren Bell was the standout bowler for England with excellent figures of 3/34.
In reply, England failed to get the ideal start to the chase. Sophia Dunkley looked positive during her short stay but her cameo ended at 16 off 10 balls. Kranti Gaud then struck again in her next over to dismiss Alice Capsey as England lost both their openers inside the Powerplay. Amy Jones and Heather Knight tried to steady the innings with an important partnership in the middle and added 64 runs together. However, Knight never really found fluency during her innings and struggled to accelerate.
The crucial stand was eventually broken by Shree Charani as Heather Knight departed for 21 off 24 deliveries. Amy Jones continued to fight hard and played a fine innings of 67 off 48 balls, but once she was dismissed, England’s hopes faded quickly. The hosts suffered a dramatic collapse from 120/3 to 129/7 as India tightened the screws brilliantly with the ball. Smriti Mandhana led her side superbly on the field and India’s catching effort throughout the evening was outstanding as well. England eventually finished on 150/8, handing India a commanding 38-run victory in the opening T20I of the series. Nandani Sharma (3/34), on Debut, was the pick of the bowlers for India Women. Stay tuned for the Post-Match Presentation!