India Women outclassed England Women by 38 runs in the first T20I of the three-match series at Chelmsford. After being invited to bat first, India Women managed to post 188/7 on the scoreboard after recovering from early blows. Lauren Bell (3/34 in 4 overs) dismissed both opening batters Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma in the first over.
Yastika Bhatia and Jemimah Rodrigues then played blazing knocks and added 126 runs for the third wicket before Yastika Bhatia was run out in the 14th over. A short cameo from Deepti Sharma helped India Women cross the 180-run mark.
Lauren Bell remained the most successful bowler for England Women, while Issy Wong, Tilly Corteen-Coleman, and Charlie Dean also took one wicket each.
While chasing, England Women also lost two early wickets by the fourth over. Kranti Gaud (2/24 in 4 overs) provided the early breakthrough for India Women.
Amy Jones and Heather Knight added 64 runs for the third wicket. At one stage, England Women were cruising at 101/2 after 13.1 overs, but Nandini Sharma (3/34 in 4 overs), Deepti Sharma (1/42 in 4 overs), and Shree Charani (1/25 in 4 overs) took five quick wickets in the next 25 balls and dismantled England’s batting line-up.
In the end, England Women managed 150/8 in 20 overs and fell marginally short. Amy Jones remained the top scorer for England Women. With this win, India Women took a 1-0 lead in the series.
Brief Scorecard
India Women (IND W) : 188/7 (20)
Jemimah Rodrigues 69(40), Yastika Bhatia 54(40), Deepti Sharma 22(13);
Lauren Bell 3/34(4), Tilly Corteen-Coleman 1/19(3)
England Women (ENG W) : 150/8 (20)
Amy Jones 67(48), Heather Knight 21(24), Sophia Dunkley 16(10);
Nandani Sharma 3/34(4), Kranti Gaud 2/24(4)
Player of the Match: Jemimah Rodrigues
India Women played well. Even after losing two quick wickets in the very first over, they kept their cool. Yastika Bhatia and Jemimah Rodrigues played superb knocks under pressure. Once India Women managed to post a fighting total, the bowlers, especially Nandini Sharma and Kranti Gaud, bowled well. Both took wickets at crucial moments, and as a result, England Women’s scoring rate slowed down in the death overs.
England Women, on the other hand, were playing well and cruising towards another victory after a successful series win over New Zealand, but they failed to read the Indian bowlers this time.
In the context of the upcoming ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026, this series will be a good chance for the Indian Women’s team to cope with local conditions. Stay tuned with JUSZNEWS for regular updates!
