India Women vs England Women 2020 | Captain Harmanpreet Kaur takes India over the line in a last over thriller
India captain Harmanpreet Kaur helped the visitors cross the line in an intense T20I match against England women, that went down to the wire. Needing five runs to win in five deliveries, Kaur hit a six off Katherine Brunt to take India home with five wickets remaining in the first match of the tri-nation T20I series also involving Australia Women played at the Manuka Oval, in Canberra.
Electing to field after winning the toss, Kaur's decision was proved right as Rajeshwari Gayakwad removed both openers, Amy Ellen Jones and Danielle Wyatt, in quick succession to set the tone for India. However, England captain Heather Knight displayed her T20 prowess and played a masterful knock of 67 runs in only 44 balls to help her team reach 147 runs for the loss of seven wickets in 20 overs. Shikha Pandey and Deepti Sharma took two wickets each.
In reply, despite losing Smriti Mandhana early, teenage sensation Shafali Verma and Jemimah Rodrigues got India off to a decent start and were later backed by the hard-hitting of Harmanpreet Kaur. Verma looked in scintillating touch as she targeted the 'V', hitting four boundaries in the process. Katherine Brunt took two wickets to emerge as the top wicket-taker for England.
Also see – U19 world cup winners list
India play Australia on Sunday in their second match of the tri-nation T20I series at the same ground.
This will be the final series for all these three teams before the 2020 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, which begins in Sydney on 21 February 2020. The tri-series will give all three sides the best possible preparation for the World Cup. Australia is the defending champions of the Women's T20 World Cup and playing with two of their biggest competitor will be mutually beneficial to all the teams involved.
Brief Scores
England Women: 147/7 (20 overs)
Heather Knight 67 (44), Rajeshwari Gayakwad 2/19 (4 overs)
India Women: 150/5 (19.3 overs)
Harmanpreet Kaur 42*(34), Katherine Brunt 2/33 (3.3 overs)
India beat England by 5 wickets with 3 balls remaining
Find the complete schedule of Women's T20 Tri-Series in Australia 2020 here