Chelmsford : India Women's stand-in captain Smriti Mandhana praised the team's collective effort after their 38-run win over England Women in the opening T20I of the three-match series at Chelmsford. India began their England tour on a strong note, with a disciplined all-round performance helping them take a 1-0 lead in the series. Notably, regular skipper Harmanpreet Kaur was rested for the opening fixture.
Reflecting on the match, Mandhana admitted that losing early wickets in the powerplay was not ideal but credited the middle-order for stabilising the innings. "Losing two wickets in the power play was not ideal. Credit to Yastika Bhatia, who came back after 8 months. She took the game away. Jemi (Jemimah) is doing Jemi things," Mandhana said. She also noted that the team could have pushed for a slightly higher total despite a strong finish.
"We should have scored 10 more runs, though," she added. Mandhana further highlighted the importance of batting second, stating that fielding first gave the team a better reading of conditions. "Fielding second is an advantage," she said.
The skipper also praised the input and composure of the batting unit, especially the partnership between Jemimah Rodrigues and Yastika Bhatia. "We had a lot of inputs from Jemi and Yastika. All the bowlers were executing their plans. They were calm under pressure," Mandhana said. She reserved special praise for young bowler Nandni Sharma, who made a strong impact with the ball.
"Nandni is a character. She has a lot of fire. She picked up crucial wickets and bowled some crucial overs," she added. After being put in to bat, India lost Smriti Mandhana early but recovered through a solid partnership between Yastika Bhatia, who scored a brisk 54 off 40 balls, and Jemimah Rodrigues, who anchored the innings with a superb 69 off 40 deliveries. A late push, including contributions from Deepti Sharma, helped India post a competitive total of 188/7.
England's bowling was led by Lauren Bell, who took three wickets, while Tilly Corteen-Coleman also impressed with disciplined spells in the middle overs. In reply, England lost early wickets before Amy Jones fought back with a resilient 67 off 48 balls, supported briefly by Heather Knight. However, India's bowlers, led by Nandni Sharma's 3/23, broke the chase open with timely strikes. Kranti Gaud also chipped in with early wickets, while Deepti Sharma added control in the middle overs.
England eventually fell short by 38 runs, giving India a well-rounded victory driven by strong batting depth, disciplined bowling, and sharp fielding. With the win, India Women take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. (news agency)