Smriti Mandhana was at her usual best. The Indian superwoman hit at ease. As a result, runs flew in all parts of the ground. Meanwhile, Indian women looked convincing and threatening, thanks to the opener who produced a crucial 79 not out to guide her side home, beating England by eight wickets in Derby on Tuesday.
🇮🇳India beat England by 8 Wickets
Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur led a successful chase to level the series 1-1#ENGvIND #CricketTwitter pic.twitter.com/NUpOm38pVJ
— Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) September 13, 2022
The attacking opener hit 13 fours in her aggressive knock as India chased down the target of 142 with over 20 balls to spare. This result in the second T20I means the series is now 1-1 with one more match to play.
Batting first, England women scored a below par 142/6 in 20 overs. Freya Kemp hit an unbeaten fifty for the hosts. However, the Indian eves bowled tight lines and did not let the home team score freely and go for easy runs. Spinner Sneh Rana curtailed the run flow in the middle overs and bagged three wickets.
Smriti Mandhana is a Class Act
Chasing a modest target, India needed someone to step up and rise to the occasion. It was former world number opener Mandhana who took the charge. She drove the ball nicely and looked in sublime touch, while England bowlers looked concerned. Smriti paced the innings well and never in any stage did the required run rate become a question.
Meanwhile, Hemalatha, who got promoted as number three, could not quite capitalise on the opportunity, falling for nine runs. However, opener Shafali Verma (20) and skipper Harmanpreet Kaur (29 not out) supported Smriti at the other ends and gave the side a convincing win.
Smriti Mandhana with her Player of the Match trophy 🔥💙#ENGvIND #CricketTwitter pic.twitter.com/Lc94msf50e
— Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) September 13, 2022
Previously before heading into the match, the dashing opener had said, one of the three batters, Smriti, Harman or Jemimah, need to bat through the 20 overs to guide their side. Incidentally, it was Smriti who did the same against a top unit like England.
Earlier, in the first match, India lost the plot in a one-sided margin, by nine wickets and it was England in the second. As a result, the all-important third T20I will prove the series winner. The series decider is going to be played on Thursday. It is going to be a high-voltage one, for sure!
