Team India secured an unassailable 3-1 lead in the ongoing five-match T20I series against England with a convincing six-wicket win in Manchester. After suffering a defeat in the third game, the hosts were hoping to level the series, but India spoiled their plans with a complete performance.
Chasing 127, India crossed the finish line with ease, wrapping up the game with three overs to spare. The foundation was laid by a strong opening partnership between Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma. It turned out to be Shafali’s most impactful innings of the series as her aggressive approach worked to perfection. She smashed 31 off just 19 balls at a strike rate of 163.15, forming a 56-run opening stand with Mandhana in the first seven overs.
Mandhana contributed with 32 off 31 before becoming the only wicket for Sophie Ecclestone, who was playing her 100th T20I. Harmanpreet Kaur added 26 off 25 in the middle, while Jemimah Rodrigues saw the chase through with an unbeaten 24 off 22.
Apart from Ecclestone, Issy Wong and Charlie Dean picked up a wicket each. Earlier in the day, England opted to bat first after stand-in skipper Tammy Beaumont won the toss. However, scoring wasn’t easy on a surface that appeared slightly two-paced. India’s bowlers, especially the spinners, capitalised well, applying consistent pressure through regular wickets.
Sophia Dunkley top-scored with 22 off 19, while Beaumont was the only other batter to reach the 20-run mark. Lower-order contributions from Ecclestone (16* off 10) and Wong (11* off 10) helped England reach 126/7.
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For India, Radha Yadav and Shree Charani bagged two wickets apiece, while Amanjot Kaur and Deepti Sharma chipped in with one each. Pace bowlers Amanjot and Arundhati Reddy effectively used slower balls and extracted grip from the surface, troubling the English batters.
India’s fielding was another standout aspect of the game. They backed up their bowlers with committed efforts—diving stops, quick throws, and a couple of run-outs kept England under pressure throughout.
Radha Yadav was named Player of the Match for her brilliant spell of 2/15 in four overs. At the post-match presentation, she said, “It was easy for us today, because it was familiar for our bowling. We did our job as a whole unit and I am happy for all of us. All the bowlers did really well and looking forward to the next game. This (fielding) is the one part we were trying to get better at. We are actually putting in a lot of efforts to get better each day and the results are showing.”
Tammy Beaumont acknowledged India’s dominance, saying, “They bowled really well, we could not adapt quickly enough, and kept losing wickets. It (Manchester pitch) has always got potential to offer something to the slower bowlers. But credit to India, they adapted quickly and stuck to their guns.”
Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur concluded with a clear goal ahead: “We need to keep doing the right things again and again and hopefully we can do that.”
India now heads into the fifth and final T20I on 12 July in Birmingham with the aim of sealing the series 4-1.
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