India failed miserably in all departments of the game as they suffered a comprehensive 38-run defeat against England in the first T20I.
New Delhi: Heather Knight-led England Women’s team defeated Harmanpreet Kaur’s Indian Women’s team by 38 runs in the first T20I of the three-match series at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, on December 6. Nat Sciver-Brunt received the Player of the Match award for her astonishing all-round performance.
Sciver-Brunt first played a crucial 77 runs knock and then even grabbed a big wicket of Smriti Mandhana in the second innings to provide the English team with their first breakthrough. She bowled the Indian opener to put India under pressure early on in the big chase.
“Really happy. Great to be back with the England girls and give a performance like that. We wanted to stand up and be brave in our approach, Danni did that very well and took the pressure off me, really pleased with how the partnership went,” Sciver-Brunt said in the post-match presentation.
“We have different strengths and we work together well as a partnership and really pleasing and happy for her as well. The wicket was pretty good, it was holding a touch for the spinners and the slower balls were quite effective which made it slightly difficult for the batters,” she added.
India failed miserably in all departments of the game as they suffered a comprehensive 38-run defeat against England in the first T20I. After opting to bowl, India dished out a shoddy fielding and bowling performance, except for Renuka Singh’s 3/27 to allow England post 197 for 6 and then could only score 159 for 6 in 20 overs to lose the match and concede 1-0 lead to England in the series.
Only Shafali Verma (52 off 42 balls) could score big in the Indian run chase. Captain Harmanpreet Kaur (26) and Richa Ghosh (21) failed to convert their starts as India failed to mount a serious challenge to the big target.
India needed 74 runs from the last five overs and that turned out to be too much for the home side.
Left-arm spinner Sophie Ecclestone was the pick of the England bowlers with figures of 3/15 as she accounted for Shafali, Harmanpreet and Kanika Ahuja.
Shafali waged a lone battle of sorts, hitting 52 off 42 balls with nine fours but kept running out of partners until her innings ended, with the right-handed batter recording her seventh fifty in the format.