On a momentous day for Indian women’s cricket when the second WPL players’ auction produced a number of impressive performances, the senior team produced a dismal performance as England won the second T20 International by four wickets at the Wankhede Stadium here to take the three-match series.
After losing the opener by 38 runs, India were bowled out for 80 runs – their third lowest total in T20Is. Despite collapsing slightly in the end, the visitors rode a 42-run partnership between Alice Capsey and Natalie Sciver-Brunt to complete the chase in 11.2 overs.
Renuka Singh picked up two wickets with the new ball again, and Sophia Dunkley and Danny White, who starred for England in the first match, were bowled cleanly with inside swingers. Later, Deepti Sharma dismissed Amy Jones and Freya Kemp with successive deliveries to give the audience something to cheer about. But the result was never in doubt and captain Heather Knight remained unbeaten to help her side win by 52 balls to spare.
Both teams made one change each, but in different ways. While England removed left-arm pacer Mahika Gor and brought in off-spinner Charlie Dean, India included right-arm pacer Titas Sadhu in place of all-rounder Kanika Ahuja.
It was the change in England that worked the magic early on. Dean dismissed Shafali Varma, who scored a half-century in the last match, with the second ball of the match before switching sides to get Smriti Mandhana out leg-legged before. Both Indian openers were perhaps guilty of returning to deliveries they should have played in the lead.
With her team in a difficult position early in the contest, skipper Harmanpreet Kaur started on a positive note and hit Sciver-Brunt for four successive overs. But the versatile England star had the last laugh two balls later with a delivery that cut sharply and trapped Harmanpreet in front.
Pacer Lauren Bell got Deepti dismissed for a two-ball duck and India’s innings was left in tatters at 33/4 at the end of the Powerplay. That’s when Sophie Ecclestone joined the attack. The left-arm pacer, who took 3/15 in the previous match, made an impact in her first over by taking a stunning catch to dismiss Richa Ghosh.
The rest of India’s batting order didn’t do much either. Only Jemima Rodriguez, who came on at number three, managed to stay on and score a 33-ball 30.
Brief scores: India 80 in 16.2 overs (Jemima Rodrigues 30, Charlie Dean 2/16, Sophie Ecclestone 2/13, Sarah Glynn 2/13); England 82/6 in 11.2 overs (Alice Kapsi 25, Renuka Singh 2/26, Deepti 2/4). England won by four wickets.