"20 overs to poore khel lete kum se kum" - Fans react as England Women beat India Women by four wickets to seal series 2-0
England Women beat India Women by four wickets in a game dominated by bowlers at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Saturday, December 9.
With the loss, they lost their sixth consecutive T20I series to England (never won). This is also the third consecutive home T20I series loss for Women in Blue, having lost to Australia (4-1) and South Africa (2-1).
England bundled India out for just 80 runs in 16.2 overs after winning the toss. Jemimah Rodrigues top-scored for the hosts with 30 runs off 33 balls, including two boundaries. Smriti Mandhana (10 off nine deliveries) was the only other batter to reach double figures.
Charlotte Dean, Lauren Bell, Sophie Ecclestone, and Sarah Glenn picked up two wickets apiece for England, while Freya Kemp and Natalie Sciver-Brunt settled for one apiece.
In response, the visitors were made to work hard in the chase. Alice Capsey starred with the bat, scoring 25 off 21, including four boundaries, while Sciver-Brunt added 16 off 13, comprising 1 six and 2 fours.
Deepti Sharma and Renuka Thakur bagged two wickets apiece for India, while Saika Ishaque and Pooja Vastrakar scalped one apiece.
Fans on X (formerly Twitter) expressed their disappointment at India Women losing the game and the series. One user wrote:
"20 overs to poore khel lete kum se kum... Aaj auction tha... uski izzat rakh lete thodi... (We should have at least played the entire 20 overs... The auction took place today... at least should have respected that...)"
Here are some more reactions:
“Another 30-40 runs could have made a huge difference” – Harmanpreet Kaur on India's loss to England
India captain Harmanpreet Kaur felt that the hosts fell short by 30-40 runs and that cost them the game. She, however, lauded the bowling unit for giving a stiff competition to England Women. In her post-match comments, Harmanpreet said:
“Another 30-40 runs could have made a huge difference. Proud of my team, we fought till the last run, which is good to see. We always want to play with a positive approach, but unfortunately, some of us didn't read the ball well and they also bowled really well and didn't allow us to score freely.”
She added:
“After losing early wickets, we were thinking 120, but couldn't do it. But still, our bowlers were ready to take up the challenge and bowled the way we wanted.”
The Indian team had lost the opening game against England by 38 runs. The third and last T20I will be played at the same venue on Sunday, December 10.