After a historic T20I series win, India Women are set to begin the three-match ODI series on 16 July 2025. The Women in Blue are coming in with great momentum after winning the T20I series 3–2. The series opener will take place in Southampton.
With the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup just two months away, to be played in India and Sri Lanka, this series holds huge importance for both teams. For India, it’s another chance to look at their in-form players ahead of the big event.
Fielding Upgrade and Spin Dominance
There were many positives from the T20I series. The most important was the fielding aspect. The overall effort was excellent. The fans were relieved to finally see an improvement in India’s fielding standards. In fact, India looked better in the field than England, who is usually a strong fielding side. England dropped and missed several chances during the series.
Another major positive was the emergence of young spinner, N Shree Charani. She came into the spotlight during WPL 2025 with her performances for Delhi Capitals (DC). She then did well in her debut ODI series during the tri-series in Sri Lanka, taking six wickets in five matches. She made her T20I debut in the England series and finished with 10 wickets in five games, also winning the Player of the Series award.
Not just her, the other spinners—Deepti Sharma (9 wickets) and Radha Yadav (6 wickets)—also did well. This spin trio will now look to continue their good form in the ODI series. Their success in England has been impressive, especially on pitches that don’t help spinners much. Doing well here will be a big boost before the World Cup, where spin is expected to play a major role in subcontinent conditions.
Batting Line-Up Looks Strong
In the batting department, there are some big names—Smriti Mandhana, Harmanpreet Kaur, Jemimah Rodrigues, and Richa Ghosh—who are all expected to perform. As a unit, India’s batting has been strong in recent ODI games. In the recent tri-series, they scored 275 or more in each of their last four matches while batting first (275, 276, 337, 342).
Even on this tour, India played a 50-over warm-up match against the ECB Development Women’s XI and scored 335/9 while chasing 354, losing by just 18 runs.
Spotlight on Pratika Rawal at the Top
One key reason behind this batting consistency has been Pratika Rawal’s brilliant form at the top. In just 11 ODIs, she has scored 638 runs at an average of 63.80, with five fifties and a century. But now, she will be tested in English conditions against a quality pace attack. That will be a big challenge for her.
After the T20I series win, coach Amol Mazumder said, “There is no doubt that Shafali Verma is in contention for a World Cup spot.” Interestingly, Shafali is not part of this ODI series but she looked excellent in her explosive 75 off 41 balls in the last T20I. So, if Pratika fails to score big, her place at the top could come under pressure.
Harleen Deol Adds to Top-Order Options
At number three, India might go in with Harleen Deol. The team management has shown belief in her, and she has scored runs recently. She even scored a century in the warm-up match against the ECB Development Women’s XI. So, India have a lot of options—a good headache to have.
“After a long time, we’re having a healthy headache of having to pick the best team,” said captain Harmanpreet Kaur ahead of the first ODI. “Earlier, we didn’t have so many options. Credit to Shafali and Pratika for the kind of performances they’ve put in.
“Even Harleen, whenever she’s got the opportunity, she has shown she can also take the responsibility for the team. Clarity as a captain is something I give to all players so that when we go to the ground, we know our role and what kind of cricket we’re going to play,” she added.
Bowling Unit Needs to Step Up
However, one area where India will want to improve is their bowling in ODIs, especially while defending totals. In the tri-series, they failed to defend 275 against Sri Lanka and gave away 261 and 314 against South Africa. Even in the final, despite winning, they conceded 245 runs against the hosts.
With Renuka Singh Thakur, Titas Sadhu, and Pooja Vastrakar missing, this is a good chance for Arundhati Reddy, Amanjot Kaur, and young players like Kranti Gaud, along with the spinners, to step up. Reddy might lead the bowling attack as England’s expected opening pair—Tammy Beaumont and Amy Jones—are in fine form after a strong ODI series against West Indies.
So, this will be a challenge. But if India manage to do well, they’ll feel confident of winning this series too—and carrying that belief into the World Cup.
Also Read: ENG-W vs IND-W, 5th T20I: England Win a Thriller but India Clinch Series 3-2