India Women have etched their name in the history books with a commanding six-wicket win over England at Old Trafford to clinch their first-ever T20I series win against England Women in a bilateral contest involving two or more matches. The victory gives them an unassailable 3-1 lead in the five-match series, making India win their first bilateral T20I series after six attempts.
Clinical India win in Manchester
After winning the toss, England captain Tammy Beaumont opted to bat first, but her decision backfired. The Indian spinners exploited the sluggish surface brilliantly. Radha Yadav (2 wickets) and young debutant Shree Charani shared four wickets between them, never letting England build momentum. The hosts were restricted to 126/7, a total that flattered them in the end. But thanks to some late hitting from Issy Wong and Sophie Ecclestone, the hosts breached 120+.
In reply, India came out blazing. Openers Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma raced to 53 in the Powerplay, effectively taking the game away from England early. Although both openers fell in the space of 12 balls, India remained comfortably ahead in the chase. The middle overs saw a slowdown, but skipper Harmanpreet Kaur (26) and Jemimah Rodrigues (24*) stitched together a vital 48-run stand to take India within touching distance.
There was late drama as Harmanpreet fell trying to finish things quickly and Amanjot Kaur was run out, but Rodrigues calmly sealed the match with a paddle sweep off Ecclestone in the 17th over. India out-batted and out-bowled England on the day, with more boundaries (10 fours to England’s 8) and far greater control in the field.
