Southampton [UK], July 17: Indian all-rounder Deepti Sharma starred with a match-winning knock in the first ODI against England Women, helping India secure a four-wicket victory and take a 1–0 lead in the three-match series.
Speaking after the match, Deepti said, “I was waiting for an opportunity like this. I wanted to build a partnership with Jemimah, score 5-6 runs an over consistently. I’ve worked a lot on sweep shots early in my career—it helps on this kind of track. That one-handed six? I picked that up from Rishabh Pant!”
Match Highlights
- Top Performer: Deepti Sharma was named Player of the Match for her unbeaten 62 off 64 balls*, the highest ODI score by an Indian woman at No. 6 or lower in a run-chase.
- Support Act: Jemimah Rodrigues added a valuable 48 and shared an 87-run fifth-wicket partnership with Deepti.
- All-Round Excellence: Sneh Rana impressed with both ball (2/31) and fielding, playing a key role in breaking England’s middle-order partnerships.
England Innings
After winning the toss, England opted to bat and posted a competitive 258/6:
- Top scorers: Sophia Dunkley (83) and Davidson Richards (53) put up a century stand.
- Early Strikes: Pacer Kranti Goud (2/55) removed openers Tammy Beaumont and Amy Jones cheaply.
- Middle Order Fightback: Contributions from Nat Sciver-Brunt (41) and Emma Lamb (39) helped stabilize the innings.
India’s Chase
India chased down 259 with 10 balls to spare, despite a mid-innings wobble:
- Openers: Pratika Rawal (36) and Smriti Mandhana (28) gave India a 48-run start.
- Middle Collapse: India slipped to 124/4 before the Deepti-Jemimah partnership revived the innings.
- Finishing Touch: Amanjot Kaur (20*) added a quick cameo to seal the win alongside Deepti.
Series Context
This victory marks India Women’s 11th win in their last 12 ODIs, a run that began with their series against West Indies in December.
The next match in the series will be crucial for England, who now trail 0–1.