India eye maiden women’s T20I series victory over England on Friday

Riding a wave of momentum, India will look to secure their maiden women’s T20I series triumph over England when they lock horns with the hosts in the third game of a five-match series here on Friday.

Harmanpreet Kaur and Co. have been in red-hot form, having handed England a record-shattering 97-run defeat in the series-opener before sealing a 24-run win in Bristol, England women’s first-ever T20I loss at the venue, to take a commanding 2-0 lead.

In 2006, India had beaten England in a lone match played in Derby. Since then, the Women in Blue have fallen short in every women’s T20I series against England, both at home and away.

This dominant performance comes as a timely boost for India as they continue to adapt to English conditions, a crucial exercise in the build-up to next year’s ICC Women’s T20 World Cup to be held in England.

So far, the Indian unit has functioned like a well-oiled machine.

Vice-captain Smriti Mandhana, who scored a century, and Harleen Deol were instrumental with the bat in the opener.

In the second match, Amanjot Kaur and Jemimah Rodrigues rescued the visitors from a precarious position with vital half-centuries, propelling India to a formidable total.

However, the spotlight now turns to big-hitting opener Shafali Verma, who will be eager to make a statement. Back in the squad, Shafali has struggled to get going with scores of 20 and 3 in the series. She will be desperate for a defining innings.

Skipper Kaur, who missed the opener as a precautionary measure following a head injury sustained during a warm-up match, will also look to spend some time in the middle after her two-ball stay in the second match.

The Indian bowling attack has stepped up admirably in the absence of pace spearheads Renuka Singh and Pooja Vastrakar.

Left-arm spinner Sree Charani has emerged as the breakout star in her debut series. The 20-year-old leads the wicket charts with six scalps and also has the best economy rate in the series — a frugal 5.11.

For the hosts, one of main issues has been the inability of openers Sophia Dunkley and Danni Wyatt-Hodge to provide a solid start.

While Dunkley has enjoyed some good beginnings, Wyatt-Hodge has made a total of 18 runs across five innings this summer, including three successive ducks. Their bowling too has been sub par.

Squads:

India: Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Yastika Bhatia (wk), Harleen Deol, Richa Ghosh (wk), Jemimah Rodrigues, Shafali Verma, Amanjot Kaur, Sneh Rana, Sayali Satghare, Deepti Sharma, Kranti Goud, Arundhati Reddy, Shree Charani, Radha Yadav.

England: Natalie Sciver-Brunt (c), Tammy Beaumont (wk), Sophia Dunkley, Amy Jones (wk), Danni Wyatt-Hodge, Alice Capsey, Charlie Dean, Paige Scholfield, Em Arlott, Lauren Bell, Sophie Ecclestone, Lauren Filer, Linsey Smith, Issy Wong.

Match starts at 11:05pm IST.

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