England Women thumped India Women by 8 wickets to win the third T20I, at Chelmsford. England won the T20I series 2-1 and the multiformat series 10-6. A 112-run stand between Player of the match Danni Wyatt and Player of the Series Nat Sciver sent India out of the game. Wyatt remained unbeaten on 89 as Smriti Mandhana’s 70 went in vain.
Both sides played the exact same XI in all three matches. Harmanpreet Kaur won the toss and decided to bat.
In a pre-match interview, Mandhana had expressed her wish for a long opening partnership with Shafali Verma. That did not happen, as Verma was once again dismissed by Katherine Brunt in the first over for a duck. The battle between Verma and Brunt was a key factor on this tour; it culminated in a send-off given by Brunt.
India lost Harleen Deol to Sophie Ecclestone soon, but both Mandhana and Kaur played their shots in a 68-run partnership. While Kaur was more savage, Mandhana played some brilliant lofted shots down the ground. Finally, it required Sciver to return for a spell and break the partnership.
Mandhana soon reached her 13th T20I fifty. She was eventually dismissed by Brunt, and at 122/5 in 17th over, India Women needed quick runs. Richa Ghosh, the other 17-year-old, hit some audacious shots. Her 20 came off just 13 deliveries, and with a boundary in each of the first two balls of the final over, she pushed India to 153/6. Ecclestone finished with 3-35 and Brunt with 2-27.
Tammy Beaumont and Wyatt added 20 before Beaumont fell to Deepti Sharma. But once Sciver joined Wyatt, England never lost control, as both batters looked unfazed against India spinners. Kaur used six bowlers, but could not stop the run flow.
Wyatt played some wonderful shots all over the ground. She reached her fifty soon in just 33 balls, and ended with 12 fours and a six. Sciver (42 in 36 balls) was bowled by Sneh Rana, leaving England to score 22 in 22 balls. But by then, Wyatt was unstoppable. She hit a six and a four before taking the winning single to finish the match with 8 balls to spare.
Brief scores: India Women 153/6 in 20 overs (Smriti Mandhana 70; Sophie Ecclestone 3-35) lost to England Women 154/2 in 18.4 overs (Danni Wyatt 89*; Sneh Rana 1-27) by 8 wickets with 8 balls to spare. Player of the Match: Danni Wyatt.
England Women won the T20I series 2-1 and the multiformat series 10-6. Player of the Series: Nat Sciver.