India’s preparations for the upcoming ICC Women’s T20 World Cup received a timely boost as they defeated England by 38 runs in the opening match of the three-match T20I series at Chelmsford on Thursday. Powered by commanding half-centuries from Jemimah Rodrigues and Yastika Bhatia, along with a dream debut spell from young pacer Nandani Sharma, India overcame an early collapse to outplay the hosts in all departments and take a 1-0 lead in the series.
The victory came at an important stage for the Indian side, with the T20 World Cup less than three weeks away in England and Wales. India entered the series after a difficult run against South Africa earlier this year, while England had arrived with momentum following a series win over New Zealand. The contest was also viewed as a major opportunity for both teams to test combinations ahead of the global tournament.
England captain Charlie Dean won the toss and elected to field under cloudy conditions at the County Ground. The decision looked perfect within the opening over as Lauren Bell removed both Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma to leave India reeling at 7 for 2.
Mandhana, leading the side in the absence of rested captain Harmanpreet Kaur, departed for a golden duck after driving straight to cover. Moments later, Shafali miscued an aggressive shot towards mid-on where Alice Capsey completed a sharp diving catch. Bell continued her impressive new-ball form after troubling New Zealand in England’s previous T20I series. However, India recovered emphatically through Yastika Bhatia and Jemimah Rodrigues, who transformed the innings with an attacking 126-run partnership for the third wicket. Their counterattack immediately shifted momentum away from England.
Bhatia, playing her first T20I in more than two years after recovering from knee surgery, looked fluent from the start. She punished Issy Wong’s erratic second over, which leaked 27 runs through a combination of wides and boundaries, and soon settled into rhythm with elegant strokeplay through the off side. She reached her maiden T20I fifty in just 31 deliveries and brought India past the 100-run mark by the end of the tenth over.
Rodrigues complemented her perfectly with another composed yet aggressive innings. She used the crease cleverly against England’s spinners and accelerated through the middle overs, bringing up her half-century with a six straight down the ground off debutant Tilly Corteen-Coleman. Rodrigues eventually scored 69 off 40 balls with ten boundaries and a six, while Bhatia made 54 off 40 deliveries.
England’s fielding struggles further hurt their chances. Several misfields and missed opportunities allowed India to maintain momentum throughout the partnership. The breakthrough eventually came when Bhatia was run out following sharp work from Corteen-Coleman and Charlie Dean.
Dean then dismissed Rodrigues with a return catch to briefly pull England back into the contest. Issy Wong also bounced back strongly after her expensive start. She removed Bharti Fulmali with a slower delivery and was involved in one of the best moments in the field when Corteen-Coleman sprinted back from backward point to complete an excellent catch and dismiss Richa Ghosh.
Despite losing wickets in clusters late in the innings, India still managed a competitive 188 for 7, thanks largely to Deepti Sharma’s quickfire 22 off 13 balls and a handy contribution from Arundhati Reddy. Bell finished with impressive figures of 3 for 34 and remained England’s standout bowler.
England’s chase began cautiously as India’s bowlers kept the scoring rate under control. Alice Capsey and Sophia Dunkley could not replicate their recent opening success, with both batters dismissed cheaply as the hosts slipped to 37 for 2. Amy Jones then attempted to revive the chase with a spirited knock from No. 3.
Playing the role with authority, Jones timed the ball beautifully through the gaps and kept England in contention during a 64-run stand with veteran Heather Knight. Knight, meanwhile, achieved a major milestone by becoming England Women’s most-capped player across formats with 310 international appearances, surpassing Charlotte Edwards.
Jones registered 67 off 48 balls and appeared capable of taking the game deep, but India’s bowlers held their nerve in the closing stages. The turning point arrived when debutant Nandani Sharma dismissed Jones with a slog sweep to deep midwicket.
The 24-year-old seamer then produced a sensational spell, striking again on the next ball as Dani Gibson holed out in the deep. She nearly had a hat-trick before trapping Issy Wong with a slower delivery that crashed into off stump. Her spell of 3 for 34 effectively ended England’s hopes as the hosts finished on 150 for 8.
India’s disciplined bowling effort was supported by sharp fielding throughout the innings. Kranti Gaud and Shree Charani also chipped in with important wickets, while Deepti Sharma controlled the middle overs with her experience.
After the match, England captain Charlie Dean admitted her side lost control after failing to break India’s crucial partnership earlier. “Jemi and Yastika put on a brilliant partnership and we couldn’t break it early enough. It’s disappointing – we felt were in a good position with the bat at the halfway stage, but we fell away at the end.
There are elements of real positivity, especially in the field, but it’s disappointing to not get over the line. We’re really great when we’re on top; it’s just that shift and how to swing momentum back round to us. Tilly was brilliant. I love the way she goes about it and how calm she is.”
Stand-in India captain Smriti Mandhana praised her side’s composure after the disastrous start and highlighted Bhatia’s remarkable comeback innings. “It wasn’t the ideal start, but credit to Yastika to come back in after eight months and play the way she did. She took the game away in the Powerplay. And then of course Jemi doing Jemi things – she batted brilliantly. I thought we could maybe have got 10 more runs but our fielding and bowling was really up to the mark. All the bowlers were brilliant in their execution. They were really calm under pressure. (Nandni Sharma) is just brilliant. She comes with a lot of fire and I was really excited to see her bowl today.”
The two teams will now head to Bristol for the second T20I, where England will look to level the series while India aim to continue building momentum before the World Cup begins on home soil for the hosts later this month.
