ENG W VS IND W T20

Right then, that will be it from the series opener. We hope you enjoyed it. Make sure to join in for the second T20I on Tuesday, July 1st, from Bristol. That game will start at 11.00 pm IST (5.30 pm GMT). But as you know, you can always join us early for all the build-up to the match. Until then, cheers and goodbye!

Smriti Mandhana, the Indian captain and Player of the Match, shared her thoughts on her long-awaited century. She had been determined to break the century barrier on this tour, and it was a relief to achieve it in the first game. Mandhana credited her success to adapting to the wind conditions, focusing on timing the ball rather than hitting aggressively. She praised Harleen Deol's aggressive batting, which made her job easier in the middle. Mandhana also commended the bowlers for executing their plan to bowl slower and force the English batters to hit against the wind. She attributed the win to the entire squad's brilliant fielding efforts, highlighting the team's collective performance.

England Women's Captain Nat Sciver-Brunt reflected on their recent loss, acknowledging India's world-class performance. She identified areas for improvement, including their bowling and fielding. Specifically, Sciver-Brunt mentioned that England didn't back themselves in the field, highlighting dropped catches as a key issue. In analyzing their batting approach, Sciver-Brunt noted that England tried to play too square, giving away too many chances. She emphasized the importance of staying on strike and hitting boundaries regularly when chasing a target of 200. Despite the loss, Sciver-Brunt highlighted moments of success, such as their energy towards the end of the innings and the momentum gained during the powerplay with the bat. With a five-match series ahead, England aims to regroup and come back stronger

Stay tuned for the presentation ...

Earlier, India Women posted a strong total of 210/5 in their 20 overs, thanks to Smriti Mandhana's maiden T20I century and a rapid 94-run partnership with Harleen Deol. For the hosts, Lauren Bell, who took 3/27, was key to restricting India Women from taking the game away from the hosts in the first innings itself.

India Women's bowlers were spot on, executing a simple yet effective plan to restrict boundary scoring opportunities. By forcing the English batters to hit against the wind, India cleverly defended their massive total. The bowling unit performed impressively, with debutant Shree Charani taking 4 wickets, Radha Yadav and Deepti Sharma claiming 2 wickets each, and Amanjot Kaur and Arundhati Reddy adding 1 wicket each to the tally.

India Women's massive total put pressure on England Women to score at a brisk pace, and in doing so, they were bound to present opportunities. The hosts managed just one significant partnership, a 49-run stand between Natalie Sciver-Brunt and Tammy Beaumont. Natalie fought hard with a score of 66, but the rest of the batting lineup failed to support her, leading to a crushing defeat for England. India was clinical in the field, capitalizing on the opportunities that came their way.

A dream start to the series for the visitors as India Women thrash England Women by 97 runs in the first T20I. The visitors posted a strong total, which England failed to chase, ultimately falling short by a significant margin. This convincing win puts India Women in the driver's seat in the series.

OUT! IN THE AIR AND GONE! India Women win this by 97 runs. Tossed up around off, Lauren Bell goes for the slog sweep but hits it against the wind. The ball hangs over Jemimah Rodrigues at deep mid-wicket and Jemimah holds onto a good catch right in front of the fence.

OUT! IN THE AIR AND GONE! India Women win this by 97 runs. Tossed up around off, Lauren Bell goes for the slog sweep but hits it against the wind. The ball hangs over Jemimah Rodrigues at deep mid-wicket and Jemimah holds onto a good catch right in front of the fence.

Blocked off her front foot for a dot.

Swing and a miss. Tossed up, wide of off, Lauren Bell swings at it but misses.

Tossed up on off, Lauren Bell chips this over cover for a couple.

Short of a length wide outside off, Natalie Sciver-Brunt goes for the square cut but misses out. Richa Ghosh collects this behind the stumps and appeals for caught behind. The umpire kept her finger down and Smriti Mandhana sent this upstairs. The UltraEdge confirms a spike as the ball passes the bat and an excellent review helps India Women get rid of Natalie Sciver-Brunt.

Short of a length wide outside off, Natalie Sciver-Brunt goes for the square cut but misses out. Richa Ghosh collects this behind the stumps and appeals for caught behind. The umpire kept her finger down and Smriti Mandhana sent this upstairs. The UltraEdge confirms a spike as the ball passes the bat and an excellent review helps India Women get rid of Natalie Sciver-Brunt.

Linsey Smith walks out next.

OUT! CAUGHT BEHIND! Leg-cutter around off, Lauren Filer throws her bat at it, gets a faint edge off the outside back to the keeper. Richa Ghosh takes a good catch standing up to the pacer.