Mandhana, Charani flatten England at Trent Bridge
Nottingham, June 28 (UNI) India Women launched their T20I series against England in emphatic fashion with a comprehensive 97-run victory, powered by skipper Smriti Mandhana's scintillating century and a clinical bowling performance that bundled out England Women for 113 in 14.5 overs.
After electing to bat first, India posted an imposing 210 for 5 on the back of Mandhana's majestic 112 off 62 balls, her maiden century in T20 Internationals, which featured 15 elegant boundaries and three lofted sixes.
Mandhana, who brought up her hundred with a glorious lofted extra-cover drive off Lauren Bell in the 16th over, dominated the innings with a blend of finesse and ferocity. Her innings earned a standing ovation from the Trent Bridge crowd, and the performance will be remembered as one of the finest in India Women's T20I history.
The skipper received solid support from opener Shafali Verma (20 off 22), as the duo added 77 runs for the first wicket. Shafali struck three boundaries before falling to a miscued big shot off Em Arlott.
The middle overs saw India shifting gears rapidly, thanks to a powerful 94-run partnership between Mandhana and Harleen Deol. Harleen smashed 43 off just 23 deliveries, peppering the field with seven boundaries before she was dismissed by a sharp catch from Arlott near the ropes.
Despite a slight wobble after Harleen's departure in the 16th over — when Richa Ghosh (12) holed out after two boundaries, and Jemimah Rodrigues was caught without scoring — India maintained the tempo. Lauren Bell capitalised on the mini-collapse, returning impressive figures of 3 for 27.
Mandhana, undeterred, kept the scoreboard ticking with a couple of stylish boundaries in the 19th over, taking India past the 200-mark. She eventually fell for 112, caught by Nat Sciver-Brunt off Sophie Ecclestone. Deepti Sharma chipped in with a clever boundary in the final over, while Amanjot Kaur remained unbeaten on 3, surviving a dropped catch.
In response, England's chase never got going under pressure from India's disciplined bowling attack. England were allout for just 113 in 14.5 overs, with only Nat Sciver-Brunt (66 off 42 balls) showing any resistance. She struck 10 boundaries at a strike rate of 157.14 before falling to Shree Charani in the penultimate over.
England's innings began with back-to-back jolts. Sophia Dunkley (7) and Danielle Wyatt-Hodge (0) fell within the first two overs, with Amanjot Kaur and Deepti Sharma striking early. Deepti returned excellent figures of 3-0-22-2, removing both Wyatt-Hodge and Tammy Beaumont (10), who was bowled after a brief resistance.
Wicketkeeper Amy Jones managed just 1 before being stumped off Radha Yadav, who also accounted for Em Arlott (12). Alice Capsey (5), Sophie Ecclestone (1), and Lauren Filer (2) all fell cheaply, while Shree Charani wrecked the lower middle-order, claiming 4 for 12 in 3.5 overs — the best figures in the match.
Arundhati Reddy chipped in with the crucial wicket of Lauren Filer, while Radha Yadav (2/15) and Sneh Rana (2-0-13-0) provided tight spells to choke England further.
With this win, India Women take a 1-0 lead in the three-match T20I series, with the next encounter set to be another high-voltage clash. Mandhana's record-setting century and Charani's dream bowling spell made it a dominant outing for the visitors in Nottingham.
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