India and England head to Taunton for a T20I decider with the World Cup looming
It is down to one game. India and England arrive at Taunton on Tuesday with their T20I series locked at 1-1 and a decider to settle, and for India there is a little more riding on it than a scoreline. This is the last cricket they play before the Women's T20 World Cup in England and Wales next month, and walking into a global tournament off the back of a series win on these grounds would be a fine way to set the tone.
The two sides have traded blows neatly so far. India drew first at Chelmsford, England hit straight back at Bristol, and Taunton now decides who heads into the World Cup with the bragging rights.
How the series reached a decider
India took the opener by 38 runs. Jemimah Rodrigues struck 69 off 40 and Yastika Bhatia made a fluent 54 on her return as India recovered from losing both openers cheaply to post 188 for 7. The bowlers then did the rest, with debutant Nandani Sharma picking up 3 for 34, and England were held to 150 for 8 despite 67 from Amy Jones.
The second game went the other way, and it turned on one short, brutal spell of hitting. Freya Kemp came in and made 39 not out off 13 balls, a strike rate of 300, to push England up to 168 for 5 when the innings had looked like settling for less. Then she did the damage with the ball too, taking 2 for 15 and removing Smriti Mandhana and Rodrigues, the two wickets India could least afford to lose. England won by 26, Kemp took the player of the match award, and the series was level.
Taunton usually means runs
If the batters needed an invitation, the venue provides one. Taunton has a quick outfield and short straight boundaries, and it has a long history of producing high scores in white-ball cricket. On a true surface under lights, whoever wins the toss may well prefer to bat, set a big number and ask the other side to keep pace.
That suits the players who have already caught the eye this series. Rodrigues has looked in lovely touch, Bhatia has batted with freedom since coming back into the side, and England have Kemp, Danni Wyatt-Hodge and Alice Capsey all capable of clearing the ropes at will. A par score here is the kind of total that needs chasing down rather than nudging towards.
A World Cup audition
For India, the decider is about more than the trophy. Smriti Mandhana led the side in the opener with Harmanpreet Kaur rested, and the captain was due back for the back end of the tour, so the management still has questions to settle about its best eleven with the World Cup so close. A decider against strong opposition, away from home, is exactly the kind of pressure they will want to feel now rather than discover later.
England will see it the same way. Both teams are using this trip as a final rehearsal, and neither will want to lose the dress rehearsal. Get the bat-first call right, hold your nerve at the death, and the series is yours. That is what is in front of them at Taunton, and on a ground like this it should be worth watching.
Cricket Updates
