The opening T20I of the 3-match series had India batting first fail to convert starts and present England with a below-par total which they very comfortably chase down in emphatic fashion to bag the opener.
Playing XI :
England – Amy Jones (C/WK), Danni Wyatt, Sophia Dunkley, Alice Capsey, Bryony Smith, Maia Bouchier, Sophie Ecclestone, Freya Kemp, Sarah Glenn, Freya Davies, Lauren Bell
India – Shafali Verma, Smriti Mandhana, Harmanpreet Kaur (C), Deepti Sharma, Pooja Vastrakar, Richa Ghosh(WK), Dayalan Hemalatha, Sneh Rana, Radha Yadav, Kiran Navgire, Renuka Singh
1st innings : India – 132/7 (20)
India put in to bat first had a good little opening stand that saw curtains with the wicket of Smriti Mandhana on 23(20) with 30 on board in 4 overs. Shafali Verma got a welcome boundary and a life on 12 but failed to make the most of it and was next to depart on 14(13). Harmanpreet Kaur got her innings underway with a boundary but on the other end Hemalatha on return to international cricket only got to 10(15) and India at halfway stage were 3 down for 65. Richa Ghosh started well but like many failed to convert the start as she walked back on 16(12) and it wasn’t long before England had the big one, that of, Harmanpreet Kaur on 20(15). Deepti Sharma walked in and alongside K.P. Navgire stitched a little partnership before the latter on debut departed for 7(13). Pooja Vastrakar too failed to make a contribution as she was caught short of her crease on 3(6) and a couple of late boundaries off Deepti Sharma’s blade helped India close out their innings on 132-7.
England had Bryong Smith wicket a wicket to her name having dismissed Smriti Mandhana, Freya Davies with a wicket having dismissed Richa Ghosh and Sarah Glenn having dismissed Shafali Verma, Hemalatha, Harmanpreet Kaur and K.P. Navgire finished with 4 wickets as England’s best on the show with figures of 4-0-23-4.
4 for 23 from Sarah Glenn in the 1st T20I have pushed India on the backfoot #ENGvIND #CricketTwitter pic.twitter.com/Zcch2owRtr
— Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) September 10, 2022
2nd innings : England – 134/1 (13.0)
England chasing a low total were off to a great start as both Danni Wyatt and Sophia Dunkley got going brilliantly and the two put on a mature 29-ball-50-run opening stand and closed their powerplay overs with 56* on board. In the very next over, Sneh Rana’s introduction helped India see Danni Wyatt’s back on 24(16). Alice Capsey settled in well with a couple of graceful boundaries and a set Sophia Dunkley shifted gears which saw England get to 103-1 at halfway mark. Successive boundaries and a single got Sophia Dunkley to celebrate her 2nd fifty in T20I cricket and the two got England home comfortably with 7 overs and 9 wickets in hand. Having fittingly hit the winning runs, Dunkley on 61(44) and Alice on 32(20) remained unbeaten in England’s 9-wicket win.
In a game where India were outclassed on all 3 fronts, Renuka Singh Thakur continued on her merry run and finished with figures of 4-0-23-0 where every other Indian bowler had an economy rate of 10+. From England’s point of view, it simply was clinical and the statement batting outing has the series well on for India to bring out their best in the next T20I to stay alive in the 3-match T20I series.
#ICYMI England defeated India by a massive 9 Wickets earlier today
Sarah Glenn took 4/23 and Dunkley finished the run chase with her 61* #ENGvIND #CricketTwitter pic.twitter.com/bzAQQ8GFJd
— Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) September 11, 2022
“We were not able to get the runs we were expecting. I just feel we forcefully played because conditions were not 100 percent fit to play,” Harmanpreet said after the match.
“Still I am happy the way girls put the effort because when there are chances to get injured but they are ready to play. That’s what you need to have team-mates in the team (for) who can score in whatever conditions and I am happy the way we put our efforts,” she further said.