India Women produced a dominant all-round display against the ECB Women Development XI at the Ambassador Cruise Line Ground in Chelmsford, putting together an entertaining batting effort before controlling the game comfortably with the ball. The visitors looked aggressive from the very beginning and maintained the momentum throughout the innings, with several batters making impactful contributions in a high-scoring encounter that highlighted India Women’s batting depth and bowling discipline ahead of the main series.
The ECB Women Development XI didn’t have the best of starts to the innings. Liberty Heap was dismissed for 8 in the second over after being caught by Yastika Bhatia off Kranti Gaud, and just a few deliveries later Tilly Kesteven also departed for 8 as Arundhati Reddy struck twice in two balls. The pressure intensified when Bethan Gammon was trapped lbw by Reddy for a duck, leaving the hosts struggling badly at 16/3 inside three overs. India Women’s disciplined bowling and sharp fielding kept the scoring under control during the powerplay.
Ariana Dowset attempted to rebuild the innings with 13 runs, but the real resistance came from Florence Miller and Jo Gardner. Miller played a fighting knock of 48 from 41 deliveries, hitting seven boundaries, while Gardner contributed 36 off 27 balls with three fours and a six. Together, the pair stitched a valuable partnership that briefly threatened to revive the chase. Gardner’s attacking approach helped the ECB Women Development XI cross the 100-run mark, but Deepti Sharma broke the stand by dismissing Gardner at 150 in 19.3 overs after a well-judged catch by Thakur. Eventually, the ECB Women Development XI finished on 154/6 in 20 overs.
India Women’s bowlers collectively delivered a disciplined performance despite the counterattack from Miller and Gardner. Arundhati Reddy was the standout performer with exceptional figures of 3/29 in her three overs, removing Kesteven, Gammon and Miller to derail the chase early and later in the innings. Deepti Sharma claimed 1/23 and controlled the middle phase effectively, while Kranti Gaud also struck early with the wicket of Heap. Shreyanka Patil picked up a wicket despite conceding runs, and the rest of the bowling unit, including Renuka Singh Thakur, Nandni Sharma and N Sree Charani, maintained pressure through tight lines and smart variations.
Indian’s innings began at a rapid pace as skipper Smriti Mandhana immediately went after the bowling attack. She struck 21 runs from just 10 deliveries, smashing three fours and a six to provide India Women with an explosive start. Alongside her, Shafali Verma continued her aggressive intent and ensured the pressure stayed firmly on the ECB Women Development XI bowlers. The opening pair raced away quickly before Mandhana was dismissed at 23 in just 1.4 overs after being caught by Heap off Clara Thaker. Despite losing the captain early, India Women never allowed the scoring rate to dip.
Shafali Verma then took complete control of the innings with her fearless strokeplay. The right-hander hammered 50 off only 25 balls, including nine boundaries and a six, dismantling the bowling attack during a blistering partnership with Yastika Bhatia. Their stand shifted the momentum entirely in India Women’s favour as the pair mixed elegant strokeplay with aggressive intent. By the time Shafali retired out on 50 at the score of 100 in 8.4 overs, India Women had already laid the platform for a massive total. Yastika Bhatia complemented the aggression beautifully with a fluent 47 off 35 deliveries, striking six boundaries and rotating the strike effectively throughout her innings.
The middle overs belonged to Bhatia and Bharti Fulmali, who continued the scoring at an impressive rate. Fulmali played one of the standout knocks of the match, smashing 48 runs from just 29 balls with five fours and two sixes. Her attacking partnership with Yastika Bhatia added crucial momentum during the latter half of the innings. Even after Bhatia fell for 47 at 135 in 13.5 overs, caught by Miller off EJ Anderson, India Women maintained the aggressive approach. Amanjot Reddy added a useful 20 from 16 balls, including a six, while Jemimah Rodrigues remained unbeaten on 2. India chased down the target comfortably and batted on in the warmup game.
The ECB Women Development XI bowlers struggled to contain the relentless scoring rate, though there were a few individual positives. Ellie Anderson emerged as the most successful bowler with figures of 2/39 from four overs, dismissing both Yastika Bhatia and Arundhati Reddy at important moments. Clara Thaker claimed the early wicket of Smriti Mandhana and finished with 1/32 in three overs. Maria Andrews also chipped in with one wicket, removing the dangerous Bharti Fulmali late in the innings. Sophie Munro, Seren Smale and Prisha Thanawala all bowled tidy spells in patches but were unable to restrict India.
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