In the second T20 match of the India A Women Tour of England T20 Series 2026, England A Women won the toss and elected to field first. Batting first, India A Women posted a competitive total of 172/4 behind a brilliant 79-run knock from Vrinda Dinesh. However, England A Women chased down the target in 18.3 overs to finish at 173/5, securing a 5-wicket victory powered by captain Kira Chathli’s explosive half-century and Bess Heath’s unbeaten cameo.
The India A Women put up a commanding performance to finish their 20 overs at a robust total of 172/4. The innings was anchored by a spectacular, aggressive knock from Vrinda Dinesh, who smashed 79 runs off just 53 deliveries, punishing the bowling unit with 10 boundaries and 3 massive sixes before falling to Sophia Smale. She found valuable support earlier in the innings from Purvaja Verlekar, who contributed a steady 30 off 25 balls, while opener Deeya Yadav chipped in with 12 before both were cleaned up by Ryana MacDonald-Gay.
Capitalizing on the foundation, captain Anushka Sharma provided the perfect late-overs flourish, remaining unbeaten with a brisk 37 off 25 balls including 3 fours and a six. While Gunalan Kamalini was unfortunately run out for 1, Shweta Sehrawat finished not out at the other end after facing a single delivery, leaving players like Minnu Mani, Vaishnavi Sharma, Saima Thakor, Shabnam Shakil, and Simran Bahadur waiting in the dugout.
The England A Women’s bowling attack faced a tough outing against India A Women, but Ryana MacDonald-Gay stood out as the absolute crown jewel of the performance. Delivering an absolute masterclass in control, she choked the runs with a phenomenal economy rate of 2.50, registering a maiden over and picking up 2 wickets for just 10 runs in her 4 overs.
Sophia Smale was the only other bowler to find a breakthrough, securing 1 wicket while conceding 34 runs in her 4 overs. The rest of the bowling unit found it difficult to stem the flow of runs. Grace Ballinger remained wicketless, leaking 36 runs from her 4 overs, while Charis Pavely kept things relatively tidy but went unrewarded with figures of 0/23 from 3 overs. Meanwhile, Emma Jones and Kalea Moore bore the brunt of the Indian batters’ aggression, giving away 39 runs from 3 overs and 24 runs from 2 overs respectively.
Despite the tough day at the office for most, MacDonald-Gay’s exceptional spell ensured England A kept a few crucial breakthroughs coming as India A progressed from the opening partnership dismissal of Deeya Yadav at 38 runs to finishing their innings with the fall of Gunalan Kamalini at 167 runs.
England A Women successfully hunted down their target, reaching 173/5 in just 18.3 overs. The pursuit was spearheaded by a sensational captain’s knock from Kira Chathli, who blazed 53 runs off a mere 26 deliveries, hitting 9 fours and a six before being dismissed by Shabnam Shakil. Opening batter Grace Scrivens set a flying tone early on with a sharp 39 off 26 balls before falling to Simran Bahadur, while her partner Ella McCaughan was cleaned up by Vaishnavi Sharma for 10.
As the chase progressed, Jodi Grewcock fell leg-before-wicket to Minnu Mani for 11, and Charis Pavely contributed 9 before becoming Shabnam Shakil’s second wicket of the day. Ensuring there were no late hiccups, Bess Heath played an explosive, unbeaten cameo of 40 runs from 23 balls, smashing 7 boundaries to guide her team home. She was comfortably supported at the finish line by Emma Jones, who remained not out on 8 from 5 balls, leaving Ryana MacDonald-Gay, Kalea Moore, Sophia Smale, and Grace Ballinger unused in the dugout.
Defending their total on a challenging day for the bowling unit, the India A Women struggled to contain a flying English chase. Shabnam Shakil was the standout performer with the ball, providing much-needed breakthroughs by picking up 2 wickets for 30 runs in her 4 overs. Off-spinner Minnu Mani provided excellent support and control, delivering the most economical spell of the innings with figures of 1/29 from her 4 overs.
Simran Bahadur also made an impact in her short burst, claiming 1 wicket for 16 runs across 2 overs, while Vaishnavi Sharma earned a wicket but proved expensive, leaking 33 runs in her 3 overs. Unfortunately, the rest of the attack found themselves under heavy fire.
Opening bowler Saima Thakor went wicketless, conceding 32 runs in 3.3 overs, while the part-time options were dealt with aggressively; Vrinda Dinesh was hit for 16 runs in her lone over, and captain Anushka Sharma yielded 17 runs from her single over. Despite striking at key intervals—including the crucial wickets of Kira Chathli at 109 runs, Jodi Grewcock at 139, and Charis Pavely at 160—the bowling unit ultimately couldn’t stall England A’s march to victory.
For England A Women, Ryana MacDonald-Gay’s exceptional, lockdown spell kept India’s total manageable, while captain Kira Chathli and Bess Heath provided explosive power hitting to easily cruise through the chase with 9 balls to spare. Conversely, what went wrong for India A Women was that outside of Vrinda Dinesh’s stellar 79, the rest of the top order could not accelerate effectively, which was later compounded by a costly bowling performance where key bowlers leaked runs at expensive economy rates.
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