India Women defeated England Women by four wickets in the first ODI of the three-match series at Southampton. Deepti Sharma led the chase with an unbeaten 62 off 64 balls, helping India reach the target of 259 with 10 balls to spare. As a result, India now leads the series 1-0.

England Recovers After Early Collapse

Earlier, England also had a poor start. Kranti Goud, playing her third ODI, bowled Amy Jones with a brilliant delivery. Then, she trapped Tammy Beaumont LBW after India reviewed the call.

As a result, England was reduced to 20 for 2. However, Nat Sciver-Brunt and Emma Lamb built a 71-run partnership. Even so, they found it hard to score quickly during overs 13 to 17.

Eventually, Sneh Rana broke through. She dismissed Lamb, who hit straight to mid-off. Then, Rodrigues took a sharp catch to remove Sciver-Brunt.

Dunkley and Davidson-Richards Add Crucial Runs

After the collapse, Sophia Dunkley and Davidson-Richards rebuilt the innings. They added 106 runs for the fifth wicket. Dunkley scored a strong 83 off 92 balls. However, she got lucky—India dropped her twice on 23 and 43.

Meanwhile, Davidson-Richards made 53 and was dropped too. Eventually, Shree Charani stumped her despite a fumble from Richa Ghosh. Then, on the final ball of the innings, Amanjot Kaur bowled Dunkley.

In the final overs, Sophie Ecclestone added a useful 23 not out from 19 balls, pushing England’s total to 258 for 6.

India’s Bowlers Perform with Discipline

India’s bowlers did a good job overall. Sneh Rana stood out with 2 for 31 from 10 overs, after going wicketless in the T20Is. Kranti Goud also impressed, taking 2 for 55 and removing both openers.

Although India dropped a few catches, they controlled the middle overs. Their bowlers used variation and stuck to their plans.

India Struggles Early but Recovers

At first, India had a shaky start. Lauren Bell dismissed Smriti Mandhana for 28 after she edged to the wicketkeeper. Soon after, Pratika Rawal made 36 but lost her wicket to Sophie Ecclestone.

Then, things got worse. Harleen Deol was run out due to a direct hit by Davidson-Richards. Her bat was in the air and short of the crease. After that, Charlie Dean trapped Harmanpreet Kaur LBW. England’s review showed the ball hitting the middle stump. At that point, India still needed 135 runs at nearly a run a ball.

Deepti and Rodrigues Shift the Momentum

Despite the pressure, Deepti stayed calm. She changed the momentum by hitting the only six of the match over deep midwicket off Bell. Then, on 40, she survived an LBW shout. Bell’s ball struck her pad and ran for four leg byes. Replays showed she would have been out if England had reviewed.

Meanwhile, Jemimah Rodrigues supported her well. She scored 48 before gloving a scoop shot to the keeper. Deepti then reached her fifty in 52 balls by sweeping Dean to deep square leg.

Later, Dean struck again by stumping Richa Ghosh. However, with only 30 runs needed from 33 balls, Amanjot Kaur joined Deepti and finished the job.

Brief Scorecard