the shortcomings in the T20I series (3-2) for the home side, England scripted a fightback. With the series locked 1–1 heading into the decider, the stage was set for a cracking finale. England, led by Nat Sciver-Brunt, made key changes including Alice Davidson-Richards replacing Maia Bouchier and Lauren Filer coming in for Emily Arlott. India brought in Radha Yadav to strengthen the spin attack, making 21-year-old Kranti Goud the lone frontline pacer in the playing XI.
India’s Batting: Harmanpreet, Jemimah, and Richa Shine in Record-Breaking Effort
Winning the toss for the first time on this tour, Indian skipper Harmanpreet Kaur opted to bat first at the Riverside Ground, Chester-le-Street. Openers Pratika Rawal and Smriti Mandhana justified the call with a brisk 64-run stand. Rawal looked confident before a faint edge off Charlie Dean led to her dismissal for 26 (33), courtesy of sharp work from Amy Jones behind the stumps.
Mandhana followed soon after, falling on 45 (54) to a mistimed pull off a short ball from Sophie Ecclestone. Then entered Harmanpreet, looking to rediscover her rhythm, and along with Harleen Deol, she stitched a patient 81-run partnership that absorbed pressure and blunted England’s spin threat.
Deol (45 off 65) fell just short of her half-century after misjudging a change of length from Lauren Bell. But with Ecclestone finishing her quota by the 34th over, the Indian batters found room to accelerate. Jemimah Rodrigues, in her 50th ODI, joined Harmanpreet and the duo added a 110-run stand for the fourth wicket.
Rodrigues played a gem — scoring her 7th ODI fifty off just 44 balls, the fastest for an Indian batter against England in ODIs. Her knock included 7 boundaries before falling for 53. Meanwhile, Harmanpreet completed her 7th ODI ton — her fastest ever (102 off 84 balls), and the second-fastest by an Indian woman in ODIs.
Richa Ghosh finished the innings with a blazing cameo of 38* off 18 balls. India posted a formidable 318/5 — their highest-ever ODI total on English soil.
England’s Chase: Nat Sciver-Brunt Fights, But Kranti Goud Steals the Show
Chasing 319, England’s innings got off to a nightmare start as Kranti Goud removed both openers within the first three overs. In walked skipper Nat Sciver-Brunt, who, along with Emma Lamb, launched a strong fightback. Their 162-run stand for the third wicket revived England’s hopes.
Emma Lamb’s gritty 68 (81) came to an end when she fell to Shree Charani in the 31st over. Sophia Dunkley (34 off 36) offered support but couldn’t maintain the required scoring rate.
The turning point came when Richa Ghosh completed a brilliant diving catch down the leg side to dismiss Sciver-Brunt for 98 (105). She walked off immediately after India reviewed the on-field not-out call, with replays confirming glove contact. It was a crushing blow for England.
Kranti Goud returned to clean up the lower order, finishing with match-winning figures of 9.5-1-52-6 — becoming the youngest Indian pacer to take a six-wicket haul in England. Despite late fireworks from Davidson-Richards (44 off 34), Charlie Dean (21 off 15), and Linsey Smith (14* off 9), England fell 13 runs short, bowled out for 305.
Match Awards & Series Takeaways
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🏅 Player of the Match: Harmanpreet Kaur (102 off 84)
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🏅 Player of the Series: Harmanpreet Kaur (126 runs, SR 105, Avg 42)
Other standout bowling contributions came from Shree Charani (2/68), Deepti Sharma (1/55), and Sneh Rana (0/57). The 2-1 ODI series win marked a historic triumph for India on English soil — their first ODI series win in England under Harmanpreet Kaur’s captaincy.
I am Yash Tailor, and I believe work should be driven by passion. Therefore, after completing my Engineering, I chose to work in the Cricket industry, my passion. My goal is to reach a stage where I truly enjoy what I do and give my best to every task with energy and purpose.