India women register first-ever T20I series win against England

The Indian women's team scripted history by beating England in a T20I series for he first time with a stunning six-wicket win led by the spinners.

By clinching the fourth match, India took an unassailable 3-1 lead in the five-match series, with the final game scheduled to be played in Birmingham on Saturday.

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


On Wednesday, spinners Radha Yadav picked 2/15, while Shree Charani took 2/30. Meanwhile Deepti Sharma took 1/29 to restrict the hosts to 126/7 in 20 overs.

Openers Shafali Verma (32) and Smriti Mandhana (31) made the task easy by putting on a 56-run stand that laid the foundation for the win. The visitors chased the target with 18 balls to spare, capping off a memorable evening.

The win comes at a crucial time as the T20 World Cup will be held in England next year.

"We are really grateful that we were able to do this (series win). I'm really proud of my team the way we played this series. It was really important to get that momentum and I'm really happy the way we all contributed," India skipper Harmanpreet Kaur said at the post-match presentation.

"We had very good camps back home before coming here. We worked on all our plans, accordingly we have executed everything here. Everybody knew their role and accordingly we all played," she added.

Kaur's team 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. However, India lost the third T20I by five runs after being in a position to win at one stage.

In the fourth match, England found themselves under early pressure after choosing to bat as Indian spinners Yadav and Sharma struck within the powerplay, removing both the openers.

Stand-in captain Tammy Beaumont, leading in the absence of the injured Nat Sciver-Brunt, briefly counterattacked with a 16-ball 20 that included three boundaries Once she was dismissed, England wobbled at 93 for 5.

India's bowlers were backed by a sharp fielding effort that squeezed England during the middle overs, keeping the hosts to a sub-par total.

With the bat, Shafali came out swinging, and cracked six boundaries. Mandhana too joined the charge, striking five fours of her own.

Though both openers fell in quick succession, the platform was well set. Jemimah Rodrigues (24 not out) and Harmanpreet Kaur (26) steered India home.