Chemsford, May 29: The Indian women’s cricket team kicked off their tour of England with a resounding victory. In the first T20 International match, India defeated England by 38 runs, showcasing an impressive performance. Captain Smriti Mandhana expressed her delight with the team’s effort and credited Yastika Bhatia, who returned to the team after eight months, for the win.
Mandhana stated that Yastika’s innings was the turning point of the match, helping to distance England from victory. She remarked, “Losing two wickets in the powerplay was not ideal. The credit for the win goes to Yastika, who took the match out of England’s reach. Jemimah did what she always does. Fielding in the second innings proved beneficial. We received valuable inputs from Jamie and Yastika. All bowlers were focused on their plans and remained calm under pressure. Nandini showed great fire in her performance, delivering crucial overs and taking important wickets.”
England’s captain, Charlie Dean, won the toss and opted to have India bat first. India had a shaky start, with captain Smriti Mandhana dismissed without scoring. Shefali Verma managed only 2 runs. However, Yastika Bhatia and Jemimah Rodrigues steadied the innings, forming a vital partnership of 126 runs for the third wicket off 76 balls. Yastika scored 54 runs off 40 balls, hitting 9 fours and a six, while Jemimah contributed a powerful 69 runs off 40 balls, including 10 fours and a six.
Chasing a target of 189 runs, England could only muster 150 runs for the loss of 8 wickets in their 20 overs. Amy Jones was the standout performer for England, scoring 67 runs off 48 balls with 9 fours. Heather Knight added 21 runs from 24 balls. For India, Nandini Sharma excelled on her debut, taking 3 wickets for 34 runs, while Kranti Gaud claimed 2 wickets.
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