England win the second T20I against India in Bristol and level the series 1-1. It was a Freya Kemp day for England as her all-round performance ensured the hosts levelled the series. Batting first, England got 168/5 in their 20 overs, with India falling 26 runs short of the target and being restricted to 142/9 in their 20 overs.
England won the toss and opted to bat first. England started off extremely slowly. Danni Wyatt-Hodge, back from maternity leave, got a start but couldn’t convert it. That was probably the story of most of the England batters, with three of their top four batters going past 25 but none converting into a big one.
Both teams went in with an extra spinner, judging the conditions. India’s spinners showed their class, especially Sree Charani. She bowled superbly and the slowness of the track assisted her. She was impeccable with her line and length. India yet again had a mixed day on the field; sharp catches from captain Harmanpreet Kaur and vice-captain Smriti Mandhana respectively, but some poor fielding from a few youngsters also ended up conceding extra runs.
England were 129/5 after 18 overs. In the death overs, Shreyanka Patil and Charani bowled three overs, picking up two wickets and giving away just 19 runs. But Freya Kemp and Danielle Gibson took the pacers on. With Gibson getting two boundaries and Kemp getting a streaky boundary off Charani’s over, the penultimate over of the innings, England reached 144. In the final over of the innings, Kemp took on Arundhati Reddy and scored 24 runs, using the long handle beautifully and repeatedly finding the gap between deep mid-wicket and long-on. Kemp’s last-over heroics took England to 168 and suddenly put them in the driving seat.
India, coming out to chase a tough total on a slow surface, had to take advantage of the powerplay. Shafali Verma had her task cut out and responded briefly by taking Lauren Bell for two boundaries. But for the record-breaking Bristol crowd, it was a joy that was short-lived as Shafali was dismissed by Bell for 22 off 14 balls.
Then the two left-handers, Yastika Bhatia and Smriti Mandhana, got together. Twice in as many matches, Yastika Bhatia got off the mark with a boundary. Mandhana took a little time to settle and played some glorious strokes. However, another batter fell after getting in, and it was that kind of day for the batters. After the initial few deliveries, Yastika looked out of rhythm and could not get going. India were 70/2 after nine overs, but in the next six overs they managed only 39 runs.
That was when the team decided to retire out Yastika Bhatia and send in Jemimah Rodrigues. With 60 needed off the last five overs, India would ideally have sent in Richa Ghosh, but they stuck to the batting order and, while trying to up the ante, lost Rodrigues’ wicket. Then Richa came out but, as is often the case on a slow surface, failed to make an impact. The pressure of the chase then fell on Harmanpreet Kaur, who struck a few boundaries before edging one behind off Charlie Dean, the standout bowler for England. Once Harmanpreet departed, it was effectively game over for India. Sophie Ecclestone will also be pleased to have enjoyed a better outing with the ball. Overall, India’s batters outside the top four failed to reach double figures.
There is all to play for in Taunton, a ground that has been historic for India in many ways. A series decider in Taunton awaits in two days’ time.
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