India Women's stand-in captain Smriti Mandhana commended the team's collective performance following their 38-run victory over England Women in the opening T20 International of the three-match series at Chelmsford on May 29.
India commenced their England tour with a disciplined all-round display, securing a 1-0 lead in the series. Regular captain Harmanpreet Kaur was rested for the opening game.
Mandhana acknowledged the early loss of wickets during the powerplay was less than ideal but praised 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 commented that the team could have pushed for a higher total despite a strong finish. “We should have scored 10 more runs, though,” she added.
Mandhana emphasised batting second was advantageous, explaining that fielding first provided a better understanding of conditions. “Fielding second is an advantage,” she stated.
The captain praised the batting unit’s input and composure, highlighting 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,” she remarked.
She also singled out young bowler Nandni Sharma for her strong impact, saying, “Nandni is a character. She has a lot of fire. She picked up crucial wickets and bowled some crucial overs.”
After being put in to bat, India lost Mandhana early but recovered through a solid stand between Yastika Bhatia, who scored a brisk 54 off 40 balls, and Jemimah Rodrigues, who compiled a superb 69 off 40 deliveries. Contributions from Deepti Sharma in the death overs helped India post a competitive total of 188 for 7.
England’s bowling was led by Lauren Bell, who took three wickets, with Tilly Corteen-Coleman delivering disciplined spells in the middle overs.
In response, England lost early wickets before Amy Jones scored a resilient 67 off 48 balls, briefly supported by Heather Knight. However, India's bowlers, led by Nandni Sharma with figures of 3 for 23, broke the chase open with timely strikes. Kranti Gaud also took early wickets, while Deepti Sharma added control during the middle overs.
England eventually fell short by 38 runs, handing India a comprehensive victory driven by strong batting depth, disciplined bowling, and sharp fielding. This result gives India Women a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.