England women made a strong comeback and levelled the 3 match ODI series with a crushing win over India by 8 wickets at VCA Stadium, Nagpur. Indian captain Mithali Raj won the toss and elected to bat first. Apart from Smriti Mandhana and Deepti Sharma none of the Indian batters could score runs with ease against England spinners. Chasing 114, England openers provided a solid start and chased down the target with ease.
Indian captain Mithali Raj won the toss and elected to bat first. Smriti Mandhana and Vaidya began on a steady note putting on 31 runs for the first wicket. Vaidya and Mithali Raj went in quick succession. At the end of first 10 overs, India posted 40 for 2.
After the powerplay overs, Smriti Mandhana batted with fluency while the rest of batters struggled on a tough batting pitch. The Indian women’s team lost wickets at regular intervals. Deepti Sharma also contributed with 26 runs at the end. It was a good bowling performance by the England bowlers who made the life tough for Indian batters. India was bowled out for a paltry total of 113 in 37.2 overs.
Chasing 114, England openers Daniel Wyatt and Beaumont started on a cautious note. At the end of first 10 overs, England women scored 50 runs. After the lunch break, both England openers continued to play with positive intent. Ekta Bisht dismissed Wyatt and Jones in quick succession.
Beaumont and captain Heather Knight made sure that England chased down the target with ease. England women won the match by 8 wickets with 21 overs to spare.
England women 117 for 2 in 29 overs ( Wyatt 47, Beaumont 39*, Knight 26*, Ekta Bisht 2/44) beat
Indian women 113 in 37.2 overs ( Smriti Mandhana 42, Deepti Sharma 26, Ecclestone 4/14, Hazell 4/34) by 8 wickets.
Player of the match went to Ecclestone for her match-winning performance of 4/14. The third and deciding game will be played on 12th April at the same stadium.