England continued their dominant streak over India in the Women's T20 World Cup with a resounding victory on Saturday. This marked England's sixth win over India in the competition's history, despite the valiant efforts of Renuka Singh and Smriti Mandhana. India had won the toss on the day and elected to field first, but ultimately, it was England who emerged triumphant.
On the day when Harmanpreet Kaur acknowledged India's bowling concerns, Renuka stepped up to the occasion with a remarkable spell. The India pacer made an immediate impact, dismissing Danni Wyatt in the third ball of her first over, with Richa Ghosh taking a stunning catch. In her next over, Renuka bowled Alice Capsey out, and then followed it up with the wicket of Dunkley in her third over, giving India a firm grip on the match.
Nat Sciver-Brunt and Heather Knight then joined forces to form a crucial partnership to guide the England team to safety. Knight was dismissed in the 11th over for 28 runs by Shikha Pandey, but England had already amassed 80 runs by that point.
Sciver-Brunt continued on and scored a well-crafted fifty, but Deepti Sharma claimed her wicket as England were 120 for five in 16.5 overs. Amy Jones then blasted 40 off 27 balls to provide some late impetus before Renuka returned to complete her five-wicket haul in the last over, snaring the wickets of Jones and Katherine Sciver-Brunt as the English innings concluded at 152 for seven wickets in their 20 overs.
Mandhana got India off to a roaring start with four boundaries off Katherine Sciver-Brunt's bowling in the third over. However, Lauren Bell then put the brakes on the scoring by dismissing the dangerous Shafali Verma for 8 in the fourth over.
Jemimah Rodrigues had difficulty finding her footing and was dismissed by Sarah Glenn after scoring 13 runs off 16 balls. Sophie Ecclestone then secured the crucial wicket of Harmanpreet, leaving India in a precarious position at 62 for three in 10.2 overs, with England firmly in control.
Mandhana received some much-needed support from Ghosh, and the duo managed to get India past the 100-run mark. The opener put on a valiant display, scoring 52 off 41 balls before being dismissed by Glenn.Ghosh valiantly fought for India, but unfortunately, she did not receive enough support from the other end, and India's innings came to a close at 140 runs for the loss of five wickets in 20 overs.
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