A batting collapse noticed India undergo a four-wicket defeat by the hands of defending champions England who ended their three-match shedding streak on the ICC World Cup 2022 on Wednesday. England overhauled the goal of 135 for the lack of six wickets because of an unbeaten half-century from skipper Heather Knight because the revived their marketing campaign.
India have been poor with the bat as they have been bowled out for 134 on the Bay Oval after England captain opted to bowl first. The show was a exact opposite to what they did in opposition to West Indies of their earlier match after they racked up 317/8.
Also Read: Highlights – ICC World Cup, India vs England
Charlie Dean clinched career-best figures of 4 for 23 to run by India batting order as she justified Knight’s determination to bowl first on a recent pitch which seemed dry.
India’s prime and center order simply couldn’t get going. The defending champions bowled fuller, fielded effectively, took their catches and have been bang-on with their run-outs.
Yastika Bhatia fetched India’s first boundary with a delicate push within the hole between mid-on and mid-wicket off Katherine Brunt. But Anya Shrubsole (two for 20) offered England with their first breakthrough as Bhatia pushed away from her physique to a full inswinger and noticed the ball take an internal edge to stumps. Bhatia thus grew to become Shrubsole’s one hundredth wicket within the format.
Smriti Mandhana picked boundaries off a free-flowing drive and a fast short-arm jab. But England, with fuller strains and extra proactive angle within the subject, continued to deal blows to India.
Mithali Raj’s lean run continued as she sliced straight to cover-point, giving Shrubsole her second wicket in power-play.
The stress of dot balls stopping Deepti Sharma to get off the mark resulted in her operating for a non-existent single by driving straight to mid-off. But Kate Cross, at mid-off, inflicted a direct hit, catching Sharma wanting the crease for a 10-ball duck.
Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur restored normalcy for India with a 33-run partnership off 50 balls for the fourth wicket.
But Dean’s entry within the seventeenth over modified the scenario because the off-spinner removed Harmanpreet and Sneh Rana in a double-wicket maiden over.
While Harmanpreet tried enjoying for the flip from a flighted supply outdoors off-stump, the ball held its line and took an periphery to keeper Amy Jones.
Rana’s promotion backfired as she went for an expansive drive, solely to nick the ball behind to Jones. Mandhana tried to carry one finish for India however she missed a sweep off left-arm spinner Sophie Ecclestone and was trapped lbw in entrance of off-stump.
Dean quickly picked up her third wicket as Pooja Vastrakar missed the sweep utterly and was trapped plumb lbw after surviving a identical name earlier than within the over.
Richa Ghosh hit pleasant boundaries on the entrance foot and again foot in opposition to Dean, Ecclestone and Cross. She received help from Jhulan Goswami, who made good use of the lengthy deal with in hammering Dean and Cross for boundaries.
Just because the 37-run partnership seemed set to go massive, Ghosh was run-out by Nat Sciver’s direct hit from mid-wicket regardless of making a superb dive as replays confirmed her bat was centimetres above in air when the bails have been disturbed.
Goswami sliced straight to backward level off Cross and Dean ended India’s distress by clear bowling Meghna Singh to take 4 wickets.
England did misplaced two wickets early however then the pair of Knight and Natalie Sciver received collectively for a 65-run partnership to take the sport away from India. Sciver fell on 45 however Knight continued to bat solidly.
India did strike again with some fast blows however by then it was too late.
Brief Scores: England 136/6 (Heather Knight 53; Meghna Singh 3/26) beat India 134 (Smriti Mandhana 35; Charlie Dean 4/23) by 4 wickets
With IANS Inputs
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