India Women vs England Women 1st T20I Full Commentary

We are back for the chase! The players are already out in the middle now. Sophia Dunkley and Alice Capsey are the two openers for England Women. Arundhati Reddy to start proceedings with the ball. Also, Richa Ghosh, the keeper, is standing up to the stumps. Here we go...

... THE RUN CHASE ...

England lose grip after dream start - England Women will be slightly disappointed with their bowling and fielding effort after making the perfect start through Lauren Bell’s double strike in the opening over. However, Wong’s expensive 27-run over shifted the momentum completely as India counter-attacked strongly through Yastika Bhatia and Jemimah Rodrigues. England struggled to create chances for most of the innings before Yastika’s run out in the 14th over sparked a mini-collapse. Charlie Dean was excellent with figures of 1/26, while debutant Tilly Corteen-Coleman also impressed with 1/19 (3). Lauren Bell was still the standout bowler with a fine three-wicket haul, but England’s batters now face a stiff challenge if they are to continue their strong record at this venue.

From early shock to strong finish - India Women suffered an early blow, losing both Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma in the very first over. But Yastika Bhatia and Jemimah Rodrigues responded in stunning fashion, taking the attack to England and powering India to 72 in the Powerplay, their highest against England in this format. Both batters smashed impressive fifties while adding a brilliant 126-run stand in just 76 balls. England hit back strongly though, removing both in the same over as India slipped from 133/2 to 148/6. Deepti Sharma’s handy 22 off 13 balls late in the innings ensured India still finished close to the 190-run mark.

Yastika-Jemimah counterpunch lifts India - Well, that was quite a rollercoaster of an innings. England made the perfect start with Lauren Bell striking early, but India responded brilliantly through Yastika Bhatia and Jemimah Rodrigues, who counter-attacked with intent and shifted the momentum. The hosts clawed their way back during the middle overs with a much-improved bowling effort to pull the game back into the balance. However, India will head into the break as the happier side after finishing strongly, smashing 27 runs off the final two overs.

Who comes out to face the last ball? It will be Kranti Gaud.

Last over coming up now. Lauren Bell will bowl it. Can she keep India under 190?

India go 1-0 up - So that brings us to the close of the first of the three T20Is. India have dominated this one quite comprehensively. England will go back to the drawing board to assess where things went so wrong for them. The caravan now moves to Bristol for the second T20I. That game will be played on Saturday, 30th May, with the first ball scheduled to be bowled at 7 pm IST (1.30 pm GMT). But as usual, our buildup starts well in advance. So do join us for that as well. Until then, it's goodbye. Take care, cheers!

The victorious captain of India Women - Smriti Mandhana, on the early wickets, says losing two wickets in the first over was far from ideal, especially with the Powerplay being one of India’s strengths. She credits Yastika Bhatia for shifting the momentum after returning from an eight-month break, while also praising Jemimah Rodrigues for playing her natural game. She adds that India probably left 10 runs out there but was happy with the team’s bowling and fielding effort. Speaking about the bowling plans, she says fielding second helped the side understand the conditions better, with inputs from Yastika and Jemimah proving useful. She feels the bowlers executed around 80 percent of their plans well, particularly with the way they responded after boundaries. On debutant Nandni Sharma, the skipper calls her a fiery character and praises the confidence she showed despite going for runs early on. She ends by saying that the team had already seen her quality in the WPL with Delhi Capitals, and it was impressive to watch her bounce back strongly on debut.

The captain of England Women - Charlie Dean says the two wickets were great upfront, but admits that India kept scoring runs regardless. She acknowledges that Jemimah and Yastika put on a brilliant show and admits that England failed to break the partnership early enough. With wickets in hand, she adds, India finished the innings really well, calling it a disappointing show with the bat, where they just faltered away in the end. On the bowling performance in the second half of the first innings, she says the girls put in a really good show in hot conditions and they did bounce back well. She points to real elements of positivity and says the energy in the field was great, adding that it was disappointing not to get over the line. On allowing too many runs after a bright start, she draws a parallel with Canterbury, noting that England faced a similar situation there. She highlights that they bounced back well against New Zealand and are disappointed to find themselves in the same position again. She details that England need to learn how to break momentum and swing things back in their favour. About the positives from the game, she is full of praise for the debutant Tilly Corteen-Coleman, saying she loves the way Tilly goes about her business. She is equally complimentary about Jones, saying she asked her to play a different role and she did a fabulous job. When asked whether the side is missing the experience of Nat Sciver-Brunt, she admits the big partnership was one they simply could not break with the ball. She also admits that England failed to stitch enough partnerships of their own with the bat, which would have made the chase more interesting. She says they are working on their younger middle order and have full faith they will come through.

... The post-match Presentation ...

A chaotic first innings - It took one over to flip the momentum completely. Issy Wong sprayed it everywhere in her first, leaking 27 runs and handing India the foothold they needed after losing both openers in the first over. Yastika and Rodrigues seized the moment, putting on 126 together and refusing to let England back in. Yastika's fifty announced her return to the side on a strong note, and Rodrigues was simply brutal, scoring a fluent 69 off 40 balls. England clawed back with a few wickets to raise hopes of a tighter finish, but Deepti's breezy cameo and 27 runs coming in the final two overs ensured India walked away with a total that put them firmly in control. England's fielding critically came under the scanner and they also bowled as many as 21 extras that further piled misery on them.

Perfect execution by the bowlers - The spinners found enough on the surface to extract decent purchase, and this was never a pitch that invited big shots from the off for the new batters. Dot balls accumulated, pressure mounted, and even the well-settled Amy Jones could not escape it, falling for 67. What followed was a collapse that England simply had no answer to. From 120/3, they eventually crumbled to 150/8 in a matter of moments, with Deepti and Nandni Sharma strangling the middle and lower order between them. The pace variations were expertly deployed, and India knew exactly where to bowl.

Jones-Knight fight hard, but not enough - Just like India, England also lost both their openers inside the Powerplay. The new ball swung, but the movement dried up quickly. Jones and Knight then came together to arrest the slide, with Jones the more aggressive of the two, putting her foot down and taking the attack on. Knight's stay was a lot scratchy alongside her, but together they steadied the ship and gave England something to build from with a 64-run stand. However, Knight was fished out at the worst possible time with England slipping to 101/3. And from there, the hosts just couldn't build on any partnership of real substance.

PLAYER OF THE MATCH - For her fantastic knock of 69 (40), Jemimah Rodrigues receives the award. She says that a lot of credit goes to Yastika, as she batted with an excellent strike rate, and that partnership was crucial. She adds that their conversations in the middle revolved around understanding the situation and playing smart cricket. Mentions that England were on top at that stage, making patience and sensible shot selection extremely important. Speaking about the surface, Jemimah feels there was a bit of hold initially, with Lauren Bell getting some assistance early on. She adds that the wicket was slightly slower compared to the surfaces usually seen in England. On her batting approach in T20 cricket, Jemimah shares it is a mix of instinct and awareness. With one extra fielder inside the circle, she backs her natural game but also stresses the importance of staying smart while building an innings. Talking about fielding, Rodrigues says she thoroughly enjoys being in the action and describes her time on the field as feeling like a yo-yo session. She ends by saying that she loves fielding in the hotspot and being constantly involved in the game.

India boss it up at Chelmsford - A thoroughly professional performance by the Women in Blue across all departments. They further improve their record against England in England. The hosts were completely outplayed. Though they had their moments with the ball, with the bat, they had no answers at all and just couldn't build on meaningful partnerships after the fall of the third wicket. They badly missed the services of the likes of Sciver-Brunt and also Danni Wyatt-Hodge, but they will be a lot disappointed with the sloppiness in the ground fielding this evening. So a lot to reflect on for the hosts, and they still have a couple of games to go before the big tournament coming up.

Lauren Bell is in at number 10, with two balls left.

An umpire's review for a run out at the batting end. Ecclestone starts walking back but the umpires halt her. Both batters have ended up at the same end and there is a need to establish who got home first. After a check through the replays, it is confirmed that Dean had her bat down in the popping crease before Ecclestone. Sophie is the one who has to go.

Last over left, then. Arundhati Reddy (3-0-15-0) to wrap it up and finish the last rites.