Smriti Mandhana’s Century Left England Reeling
It was supposed to be a tough fight, but it was a one-sided match in Nottingham. Smriti Mandhana’s century led the way to India’s win over England by 97 runs in the opening T20I match on Saturday.
Harmanpreet could not play due to a head injury during warm-ups. Mandhana took over the captaincy. This was Mandhana’s finest knocks in a blue jersey.
Table of Contents
India women’s Smooth Start, Sudden Fire
India was sent in to bat and Mandhana walked in with Shafali Verma. They didn’t rush. They played carefully and then began playing shots.
Smriti Mandhana’s Century was classy from ball one. Verma supported well, picking her moments. Their partnership was worth 77, solid and steady. Verma was out for 20, but she had already done her bit.
Mandhana, played elegantly. She pulled, she drove, she swept. Every stroke was a treat to watch.
Harleen Joins the Party
Harleen Deol came in at the fall of Shafali Verma and didn’t waste time. She played her shots, kept Mandhana company, and pushed the pace.
Mandhana and Harleen added 94 runs together. Harleen made 43 off 23. But it was all about Smriti Mandhana’s Century. It was all about timing, ease and confidence with which she batted.
She reached her hundred in just 51 balls with easy flow of fours and sixes.
England Had No Answers to Mandhana’s Flurry of Runs
England bowlers had no control. Lauren Bell took three wickets, but it was too late. Ecclestone was expensive. Capsey and Smith got hammered all around the park. Even good fielding couldn’t stop the flow.
Mandhana fell in the final over, but by that time India had piled up 210 runs. It was India’s second-best T20I total ever. The damage was already done.
England’s Reply to India’s Total: A Collapse
England’s chase started badly and only got worse. A sharp catch by Ghosh in the very first over set India’s victory tone. Then Deepti Sharma picked up a big wicket.
Danni Wyatt, Tammy Beaumont, Amy Jones — all gone in no time. The scoreboard looked very bad and the crowd sensed the result early.
Nat Sciver-Brunt fought and scored a 66. But she was alone in the battle fighting.
Shree Charani’s Spell: Debut to Remember
While all eyes were on the batting, debutant spinner Shree Charani quietly scripted her own story. She finished with 4 for 12. She was calm and composed. Se was very accurate as well.
Her spell left England stunned.
Despite all that Smriti Mandhana’s Century was the show-stealer. Charani just added to that.
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England’s Harsh Reality Check
England was in form at home. They beat the West Indies easily. But this was different.
India’s weaknesses were their sloppy fielding, poor shot selection, and lack of a Plan B. India’s weakness was exposed.
Sciver-Brunt’s played a good knock. She needed support from someone, but none came.
India Takes Early Lead
With this win, India leads 1-0 in the five-match series. The confidence is high. The bench strength looks solid. Even without Harmanpreet, the team performed like a unit.
Smriti Mandhana’s Century made sure England never had a chance. The bowlers finished their job that was assigned to them.
Key Moments of the Match
- India scored 210/5 in 20 overs.
- Smriti Mandhana’s Century (112 off 62 balls).
- Harleen Deol’s rapid 43.
- England all out for 113.
- Shree Charani took 4 wickets on debut.
- India won by 97 runs.
- The series stands at 1-0.
Final Word
The night belonged to Mandhana. Her hundred wasn’t just about big shots. It was about leadership, about taking responsibility and doing it in style.
Smriti Mandhana’s Century didn’t just win a match, but it lifted a team and made a statement.
India came prepared. England will need to do a lot more to bounce back.
India v/s England First T20I in Nottingham – India Women Innings
| Batting | R | B | M | SR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shafali Verma | c Ecclestone b Arlott | 20 | 22 | 40 | 90.90 |
| Smriti Mandhana (c) | c Nat Sciver-Brunt b Ecclestone | 112 | 62 | 92 | 180.64 |
| Harleen Deol | c Arlott b Bell | 43 | 23 | 35 | 186.95 |
| Richa Ghosh | c Dunkley b Bell | 12 | 6 | 6 | 200.00 |
| Jemimah Rodrigues | c Nat Sciver-Brunt b Bell | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0.00 |
| Amanjot Kaur | not out | 3 | 3 | 11 | 100.00 |
| Deepti Sharma | not out | 7 | 3 | 3 | 233.33 |
| Extras | (b 5, nb 1, w 7) | 13 | |||
| Total | 20 Ov (RR: 10.50) | 210/5 |
| Fall of Wickets | Score | Over | |
| Shafali Verma | c Ecclestone b Emily Arlott | 1-77 | 8.3 |
| Harleen Deol | c Emily Arlott b Bell | 2-171 | 15.6 |
| Richa Ghosh | c Dunkley b Bell | 3-186 | 17.2 |
| Jemimah Rodrigues | c Sciver b Bell | 4-190 | 17.4 |
| Smriti Mandhana | c Sciver b Ecclestone | 5-202 | 19.2 |
| Bowling | O | M | R | W | Eco |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lauren Bell | 4 | 0 | 27 | 3 | 6.75 |
| Em Arlott | 4 | 0 | 38 | 1 | 9.50 |
| Lauren Filer | 4 | 0 | 35 | 0 | 8.75 |
| Linsey Smith | 3 | 0 | 41 | 0 | 13.66 |
| Sophie Ecclestone | 3 | 0 | 43 | 1 | 14.33 |
| Alice Capsey | 2 | 0 | 21 | 0 | 10.50 |
India v/s England First T20I in Nottingham – England’s Innings
| Batting | R | B | M | SR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sophia Dunkley | c Ghosh b Kaur | 7 | 4 | 4 | 175.00 |
| Danni Wyatt-Hodge | c Deol b Sharma | 0 | 3 | 6 | 0.00 |
| Nat Sciver-Brunt (c) | c Ghosh b Shree Charani | 66 | 42 | 56 | 157.14 |
| Tammy Beaumont | b Sharma | 10 | 11 | 18 | 90.90 |
| Amy Jones | st Ghosh b Yadav | 1 | 2 | 2 | 50.00 |
| Alice Capsey | c Reddy b Shree Charani | 5 | 6 | 8 | 83.33 |
| Em Arlott | c Mandhana b Yadav | 12 | 10 | 7 | 120.00 |
| Sophie Ecclestone | c Rodrigues b Shree Charani | 1 | 4 | 7 | 25.00 |
| Lauren Filer | c Ghosh b Reddy | 2 | 4 | 5 | 50.00 |
| Linsey Smith | not out | 0 | 0 | 4 | – |
| Lauren Bell | c Rodrigues b Shree Charani | 2 | 4 | 2 | 50.00 |
| Extras | (b 5, nb 1, w 7) | 13 | |||
| Total | 20 Ov (RR: 10.50) | 210/5 |
| Fall of Wickets | | Score | Over |
| Sophia Dunkley | c Ghosh b Kaur | 1-9 | 0.6 |
| Danni Wyatt-Hodge | c Deol b Sharma | 2-9 | 1.1 |
| Tammy Beaumont | b Sharma | 3-58 | 5.6 |
| Amy Jones | st Ghosh b Yadav | 4-62 | 6.3 |
| Alice Capsey | c Reddy b Shree Charani | 5-70 | 8.2 |
| Em Arlott | c Mandhana b Yadav | 6-88 | 10.5 |
| Sophie Ecclestone | c Rodrigues b Shree Charani | 7-102 | 12.2 |
| Lauren Filer | c Ghosh b Reddy | 8-111 | 13.6 |
| Nat Sciver-Brunt | c Ghosh b Shree Charani | 9-111 | 14.1 |
| Lauren Bell | c Rodrigues b Shree Charani | 10-113 | 14.5 |
| Bowling | O | M | R | W | Eco |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amanjot Kaur | 2 | 0 | 22 | 1 | 11.00 |
| Deepti Sharma | 3 | 0 | 32 | 2 | 10.66 |
| Shree Charani | 3.5 | 0 | 12 | 4 | 3.13 |
| Arundhati Reddy | 2 | 0 | 18 | 1 | 9.00 |
| Radha Yadav | 2 | 0 | 15 | 2 | 7.50 |
| Sneh Rana | 2 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 6.50 |
