Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], December 6 (ANI): Sophie Ecclestone’s three-wicket haul helped England women clinch a 38-run victory against India in the first T20I match of the three-game series at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Wednesday.
Indian opener Shafali Verma’s half-century went in vain as the ‘Women in Blue’ failed to make a solid partnership to chase the challenging target of 198 runs.
Nat Sciver-Brunt found the first breakthrough after she dismissed star batter Smriti Mandhana in the third over for six runs with India’s score at 20.
Jemimah Rodrigues too could not last long and was out on bowling of Freya Kemp in the sixth over for 4 runs.
Ecclestone’s first wicket of the game came after she dismissed Indian skipper Harmanpreet Kaur for 26 runs. Richa Ghosh started well and got India back on track but Sarah Glenn dismissed her in the 15th over for 21 runs with India score reading at 122-4.
Ecclestone bagged an important wicket after she dismissed dangerous Shafali, who had scored 52 runs from 42. She was dismissed in the seventeenth over with Indian score reading at 134 for 5.
Kanika Ahuja scored 15 runs from 12 balls but had to leave the crease after Ecclestone dismissed her in the 18.2 overs for 15 runs from 12 balls.
India were 151 on loss of six wickets. Pooja Vastrakar and Deepti Sharma continued with India finishing at 159 for 6.
Ecclestone bagged three wickets in her four-over spell. Sciver-Brunt, Kemp, and Glenn picked one wicket each.
Sciver-Brunt was named the ‘Player of the Match’ after her staggering performance with both bat and ball.
After winning the toss, Harmanpreet Kaur’s ‘Women in Blue’ decided to field first.
Renuka dismissed English opener Sophia Dunkley (1 run from 2 balls) and Alice Capsey for a duck in the 0.4 and 0.5 overs respectively.
However, after the early wickets England’s Wyatt and Sciver-Brunt made a solid 138-run partnership to take the away side in a better position.
During the 138-run partnership, the ‘Women in Blue’ got plenty of chances to break the pair but due to sloppy fielding, they were unable to do it.
Debutant Saika Ishaque bagged a crucial wicket in the game after she dismissed Wyatt (75 runs from 47 balls). Another debutant Shreyanka Patil dismissed English skipper Heather Knight (6 runs from 7 balls).
Renuka’s third wicket came after she picked up Sciver-Brunt’s (77 runs from 53 balls) with England at 177-5.
Patil dismissed Amy Jones (23 runs from 9 balls) in the last ball of the inning.
Renuka led bagged three wickets in her four-over spell. On the other hand, Shreyanka picked two wickets and Ishaque took one wicket with England finishing at 197/6.
Brief score: England Women: Wyatt (75), Sciver-Brunt (77), Jones (23); Renuka (27/3), Shreyanka (44/2), Ishaque (38/1) vs India Women: Shafali (52), Harmanpreet (26), Richa (21); Ecclestone (3/15), Glenn (1/25), Kemp (1/30). (ANI)
