India Women recover from 7 for 2 to beat England by 38 runs in series opener
India lost both openers inside the first over at Chelmsford on Thursday and still walked off with a 38-run win, the kind of recovery that says more about a side than a comfortable night ever could. Jemimah Rodrigues and Yastika Bhatia did the rebuilding, and India lead the three-match T20I series 1-0 with the Women's T20 World Cup not far off now.
Two down in the first over, then a stand worth 126
England won the toss and put India in, and for six balls the decision looked inspired. Lauren Bell removed Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana in her opening over to leave India 7 for 2, both openers gone before the innings had drawn breath. Bell would finish with 3 for 34.
What followed was the innings of the night. Bhatia and Rodrigues came together with the powerplay in ruins and added 126 for the third wicket, a record stand for that wicket between these sides in a women's T20I. Bhatia brought up her maiden T20I fifty off 31 balls and finished with 54 from 40. Rodrigues, named player of the match, counter-attacked her way to 69 off 40, raising her half-century with a six down the ground off debutant Tilly Corteen-Coleman.
The partnership came off just 76 balls, and it flipped the pressure straight back onto the hosts. India closed on 188 for 7, a total that had looked at least 40 short when Bell was running through the top order and well beyond par by the time the innings ended.
England never got the chase going
Amy Jones top-scored for England with 67 off 48 from an unfamiliar No. 3 slot, nine boundaries in all, but wickets at the other end meant the required rate kept climbing out of reach. India's bowling was led by Nandani Sharma, who took 3 for 34 on international debut and was on a hat-trick at one stage, and the home side were pegged back to 150 for 8 from their 20 overs.
The margin of 38 runs was a fair reflection of a game India controlled from the moment Bhatia and Rodrigues took guard together. England will point to the fielding lapses that let the stand grow, but they were second best with bat and ball once the early flurry passed.
A useful marker before the World Cup
This is the sort of test India wanted before the Women's T20 World Cup: away conditions, a strong England attack and a position of real trouble to climb out of. They passed it. The series moves on with India 1-0 up and England needing to level before the contest gets away from them.
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