India Women vs England Women | Smriti Mandhana complements bowlers’ efforts to guide India to series win

After England opted to bat first, Indian bowlers instantly proved them wrong as they reduced the touring side to 14/3 before Natalie Sciver and opener Tammy Beaumont forged a solid partnership in the middle. The duo managed to counter Jhulan Goswami and Shikha Pandey perfectly, but just when the opener thought that she had exerted herself perfectly, Pandey snared his wicket to reduce the Three Lions to 44/4. 

Lauren Winfield was industrious in her approach, and in the company of a solid Sciver, she guided the team to 93 runs before an attempt to sweep Poonam Yadav with the intention of clearing the boundary ended her stay in the middle. Sciver was relentless in her approach at the other end, forcing the Indians to err their length continuously, and despite the wickets are tumbling at the other end thanks to some magic by Pandey, she took the total beyond 160 and gave India a target of 162 runs. 

After Raut’s dismissal for 32, Mandhana got to her fifteenth half-century in ODI cricket with Raj at the other end, and the duo complemented each other’s effort to get India much closer. Anya Shrubsole bowled an inch-perfect yorker to end Mandhana’s stay in the middle and that was the last wicket England could pick, as Raj took the team down the line to hand a seven-wicket loss to England to win the series in advance.