On a chilly evening in Taunton, a healthy crowd turned up to watch the series decider. England won both the match and the series decider at the Cooper Associates Ground in Taunton. Put into bat, India posted a competitive 180/5 in 20 overs on a batting-friendly surface. England, thanks to a mammoth 137-run partnership between Alice Capsey and Heather Knight, chased down the target with nine balls and six wickets to spare.
Shafali Verma was once again dismissed by a left-arm spinner while trying to open up the off side. Charlie Dean brought herself on immediately in the fourth over with two left-handers at the crease, even though Linsey Smith had dismissed Shafali in the previous over from the Marcus Trescothick Pavilion End. Dean’s move worked as Smriti Mandhana, attempting a sweep, missed the ball completely and her struggles against off-spin continued. In T20s this year, across 13 innings against off-spin, Smriti has scored 111 runs and been dismissed four times, averaging 27.75 at a strike rate of 133.80.
Yastika Bhatia was again off to a flier in the powerplay, scoring 32 off 17 balls. India have often been criticised for not rotating the strike enough and there was a definite effort to address that today. However, England’s fielders were right on the money as well. Yastika, attempting a quick single to mid-off, was run out by a direct hit from Sophie Ecclestone. Jemimah Rodrigues and Harmanpreet Kaur then took on the England bowling, adding 40 runs from 26 balls for the fourth wicket. Jemimah looked in fine touch until her dismissal.
Charlie Dean’s bowling changes were spot on. She brought Lauren Bell back in the 11th over in an attempt to break the partnership, and Bell delivered. Jemimah played all around Bell’s dipping slower ball, effectively yorking herself and becoming yet another Indian batter to get a start without converting it into a substantial score.
Jemimah’s innings gave Harmanpreet the time she needed to settle before accelerating, while Deepti Sharma also played a vital hand. Their partnership of 67 from 48 balls took India to 167/5 in 18.5 overs. The important aspect was that both Harmanpreet and Deepti matched each other, contributing 32 runs from 24 balls apiece. After Deepti departed, Harmanpreet completed her half-century in the final over, her first T20I fifty against England in 32 innings. A comedy of errors on the final ball allowed India to scramble two runs and finish on 180/5.
England started briskly with a couple of boundaries before Kranti Gaud, who came in for Shreyanka Patil, removed Danni Wyatt-Hodge. Soon after, Sophia Dunkley took charge, striking Arundhati Reddy for back-to-back boundaries. However, Reddy had the last laugh as Dunkley, looking to continue the attack, hit the ball straight down the throat of Jemimah Rodrigues at deep mid-wicket.
After her half-century in the opening game, Amy Jones endured a quiet finish to the series, falling to Kranti for just three while attempting a pull shot, finding Deepti Sharma at mid-wicket. But then Capsey and Knight, arguably England’s two best batters in this side, came together. Capsey took 15 runs off a Kranti over, showing early signs of what was to come for the fans at the Cooper Associates Ground. Much like India’s innings, Capsey’s aggression allowed Knight the time to settle.
Capsey continued to counterattack, particularly through the V, and reached her fifty in just 27 balls. Knight was on 26 from 17 balls at one stage before beginning to pick off India’s slower deliveries with ease and finding the boundary regularly. As the sun set in the background, India’s hopes of winning the game seemed to fade with it. Knight, who has often been criticised for her strike rate, reached her half-century from just 31 balls. Harmanpreet even turned to Shafali Verma’s off-spin as a trump card, but England’s batters were prepared. They took no risks against her slower deliveries, instead working the ball into the gaps and collecting 16 runs from her two overs.
Arundhati Reddy eventually dismissed Capsey, who attempted an upper cut against a slow, wide bouncer on the penultimate ball of the 18th over. By then, however, England needed only seven more runs. Capsey’s brilliant 82 came from 43 balls at a strike rate of 190.70. Four balls later, Knight sealed the chase in style with a boundary, remaining unbeaten on 70 from 42 deliveries. Knight was 32 from her first 21 balls before accelerating and scoring 38 from her next 21, ensuring England finished on top. England ultimately made light work of a challenging chase.
India now have two warm-up matches and a number of questions still to answer before their World Cup campaign begins against Pakistan on 14 June at Edgbaston.
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