Deepti Sharma leads India women to 4-wicket win, making it four straight ODI wins for India on English soil.
Deepti Sharma digs deep to deliver India’s four-wicket win as England’s nemesis strikes again.
With a match-winning half-century at Southampton to give India a 1-0 lead in their three-match ODI series, Deepti Sharma handed them the advantage over England once more, albeit in a more traditional manner.
In 2022, when these teams last faced each other in an ODI in England, Deepti ran out Charlie Dean while backing up on the final ball to complete a 3-0 ODI series sweep at Lord’s after scoring an undefeated fifty to save her team from an early setback.
India won by four wickets with 10 balls remaining on Wednesday night after chasing 259 thanks to Deepti’s undefeated 62 from 64 balls. The matching century stand between Sophia Dunkley and Alice Davidson-Richards, who both reached fifty to lead England to 258 for six, was eclipsed by her and Jemimah Rodrigues’ 90-run partnership for the fifth wicket off 86 balls.
In the 11 weeks leading up to the World Cup, which begins in India and Sri Lanka, both teams had a more gruelling start than they may have preferred. While England had to defend a low total after an early batting collapse and finally failed to take the necessary wickets, India lost fielding opportunities and made their early chase difficult.
Despite starting, India’s top order was unable to convert. With a slight edge to wicketkeeper Amy Jones for a 24-ball 28 in the eighth over, Lauren Bell eliminated the threat of Smriti Mandhana, who was by far the top run scorer on the T20I part of the tour.
Before being bowled by Sophie Ecclestone to make it 94 for 2 in the 19th, fellow opener Pratika Rawal faced 51 deliveries for her 36.
England was in the match until Harleen Deol was unnecessarily run out by Davidson-Richards’ direct hit because she left her bat hovering off the ground well beyond the crease while her foot was short of the crease.
When the ball was shown to be hitting middle stump, England’s review paid off, and Dean improved the hosts’ position by getting one to grab from outside off and hit Harmanpreet Kaur on the knee-roll. India needed 135 runs at a little less than a run per ball at that time.
When Deepti hit Bell over deep midwicket to get into the 30s, she grabbed charge and hit the game’s solitary six.
Replays indicated that she would have been declared leg before wicket had England been reviewed, but she was on 40 when Bell beat her effort at a pull and struck the pad, sending the ball hurtling out for four leg byes.
When Dean had Richa Ghosh stumped advancing down the pitch in her final over, India needed 30 runs off 33 balls but Deepti and Amanjot Kaur saw them home.