India, led by skipper Harmanpreet Kaur, were eager to get their campaign back on track after suffering consecutive defeats following a strong start in the first couple of games in their campaign in the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025. They were up against one of the only two unbeaten sides in the tournament, Nat Sciver-Brunt’s England, posing a strong challenge in Indore.
A slight change in tactic from India, sacrificing Jemimah Rodrigues to add depth in the bowling department, resulted in the return of Renuka Singh into the starting 11. England also brought back Sophie Ecclestone, replacing Sarah Glenn, and Lauren Bell replacing Emily Arlott in the starting 11 for England.
Deepti Sharma and Shree Charani pull things back after Heather Knight’s ton
The England openers Tammy Beaumont and wicket-keeper Amy Jones managed to survive the tricky initial phase, after skipper Nat Sciver-Brunt won the toss and opted to bat first. The pair stitched a 50+ opening stand for the first time after their opening clash against South Africa. The introduction of Deepti Sharma resulted in the much-needed breakthrough of Tammy Beaumont (22 off 43 balls) to provide the first breakthrough for India in the 16th over of the innings.
Deepti Sharma removed another set batter, Amy Jones (56 off 68 balls) in the 22nd over of the innings, providing the 2nd breakthrough for her side. The two senior pros in the side, skipper Nat Sciver-Brunt and former skipper Heather Knight, partnered at the crease and took the innings deep, taking the total past the 200-run mark, with a massive 113-run partnership for the 3rd wicket.
A last-minute change from skipper Harmanpreet Kaur to back Shree Charani with the ball for the 39th over of the innings worked wonders as she got the big scalp of the opposition skipper Nat Sciver-Brunt (38 off 49 balls), providing the crucial 3rd breakthrough for India. After the departure of Nat Sciver-Brunt, Heather Knight switched gears and stitched another crucial 37-run partnership for the 4th wicket, which took them closer to the 250-run mark.
An excellent piece of work from Amanjot Kaur in the deep ended Heather Knight’s stay (109 off 91 balls) at the crease in the form of a run-out. She completed her 3rd century in the format, and her 2nd in the ICC Women’s ODI World Cup, before getting dismissed. The Indian spinners Deepti Sharma (10-0-51-4) and Shree Charani (10-0-68-2), aided by some excellence in the field, pulled things back significantly.
In the final 5-over phase of the innings, England just managed 36 runs, losing four wickets in the process. As a result, they were restricted to 288/8 in their quota of 50 overs. Charlie Dean (19* off 13 balls) chipped in with a handy cameo towards the end with the bat for England. Sneh Rana (10-0-56-0) and Renuka Singh (8-0-37-0) were impressive with the ball for India.
India messes up the run chase despite contributions from the senior pros
With the task of securing their highest run chase in the ODI format, India lost a couple of wickets in the powerplay. In walked the Indian skipper Harmanpreet Kaur, joining the vice-captain, Smriti Mandhana, at the crease. The duo took the proactive approach and settled into their innings, minimising the dot balls, rotating the strike and capitalising on the loose deliveries to keep the required rate in check.
The partnership soared past the 100-run mark, and the pair were going along nicely, ensuring India stayed ahead in the run chase. Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur (70 off 70 balls) registered her first half-century in the tournament. In her attempt to take the attack to her opposite number perished in the 31st over of the run chase, with the game hanging in the balance and probably with the women in blue slightly ahead in the contest.
Deepti Sharma joined Smriti Mandhana at the crease, and the duo carried forward the momentum with a crisp 67-run partnership for the 4th wicket, which also took India past the 230-run mark. The vice-captain looked set for a campaign-defining knock after registering her 2nd consecutive half-century in the tournament. In her attempt to take the aerial route against Linsey Smith, she handed an easy catch in the deep to Alice Capsey, departing for a hard-earned 88 (94 balls) in the 42nd over of the innings, providing a massive 4th breakthrough for England.
Deepti Sharma (50 off 57 balls) also registered an impressive half-century but couldn’t get India over the line as she threw it away with Sophie Ecclestone in her final over of her spell, in the 47th over of the innings, allowing England back into the contest. Skipper Nat Sciver-Brunt smartly put the squeeze on by backing her left-arm spinner to defend 14 runs in the final over of the run chase.
Despite valiant attempts, Amanjot Kaur (18* off 15 balls) and Sneh Rana (10* off 9 balls) couldn’t clear the ropes towards the end and as a result, India fell agonisingly short of the target by 4 runs. Linsey Smith (10-0-40-1), skipper Nat Sciver-Brunt (8-0-47-2), Sophie Ecclestone (10-0-58-1), and Lauren Bell (9-0-52-1). Heather Knight was awarded the Player of the Match for her impressive century (109 off 91 balls) with the bat, playing a crucial role in handing India their 3rd successive defeat in the tournament.
Loves all things female cricket