Snehasis Mukherjee in Indore
Deepti Sharma’s four-wicket haul helped India restrict England to 288/8 in 50 overs at the Holkar Cricket Stadium, Indore, despite a classy 109-run knock from Heather Knight.
England won the toss and chose to bat first, making two expected changes — Sophie Ecclestone and Lauren Bell replaced Sarah Glenn and Em Arlott.
India’s playing XI saw a surprise call as they went in with six bowling options. Pacer Renuka Singh Thakur returned to the side, replacing batter Jemimah Rodrigues.
Both England openers, Tammy Beaumont and Amy Jones, had struggled against inswingers earlier in the tournament. Indian fans expected Renuka and Kranti Gaud to strike early.
However, the English openers survived the new ball and took their side to 44/0 at the end of the powerplay.
Jones looked confident from the start, playing some fluent shots, while Beaumont struggled to find timing in her scratchy 22 off 43. She was the first to fall, bowled by Deepti Sharma, who also brought up her 150th ODI wicket.
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Jones reached her half-century but couldn’t push on. She was dismissed for 56 off 68 balls, caught brilliantly by Smriti Mandhana, giving Deepti her second wicket.
From there, Heather Knight took charge and delivered a knock full of maturity and control. She once again led by example, mixing singles with well-placed boundaries. Her strike rotation and clever use of the sweep shot kept England’s innings flowing.
She found a solid partner in skipper Nat Sciver-Brunt, and together they added 113 runs for the third wicket. Nat, though, never looked at her best and fell for 38, thanks to a sharp catch from Team India skipper, Harmanpreet Kaur.
The turning point came soon after. Amanjot Kaur’s throw to Richa Ghosh as she dislodged the stumps, and Knight was short of her crease and dismissed for 109. England’s innings suddenly lost momentum. From 249/3, they slumped to 257/6, losing three wickets for just eight runs.
India’s fielders were impressive throughout — N Shree Charani and Kranti Gaud saved vital boundaries with some sharp efforts. A late cameo of 19 not out from Charlie Dean helped England reach 288/8.
For the Women in Blue, Deepti ended up with four wickets, while Charani picked up two wickets. Now, all focus shifts to India’s chase, as they aim to avoid a hat-trick of losses in this tournament.
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