India lost the match by six runs.
As the men’s team got off to a disappointing defeat in the first Test in Leeds, the India women’s team touring England for a white-ball series also began with two back-to-back defeats in the warm-up games in Beckenham. On Tuesday, they lost the 50-over game by 18 runs and on Wednesday, they lost the T20 warm-up game against England Women Select XI by a narrow six runs.
Batting first, England XI, led by Hollie Armitage, were bullish with their approach. It paid dividends against an Indian bowling attack that relied heavily on their spinners.
Opener Bryony Smith was the star of the innings as she smashed eight boundaries and three sixes while adding 77 runs in 44 balls with Maia Boucher, who had a superb outing in the previous game with 104 off 84 balls.
Skipper Armitage scored 48 off 32 balls while adding 47 off 32 balls with Emma Lamb, who scored 22 off 15 balls.
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Indian bowlers found success at the end and were able to stop the hosts from crossing the 200-run mark, but the top four’s performances were enough to propel them to a defendable 194/8 in 20 overs. All-rounder Sneh Rana was the pick of the visiting bowlers with 2-28 while Mumbai Indians pacer Amanjot Kaur claimed 2-29. Star all-rounder Deepti Sharma and spinner Radha Yadav got a wicket each.
In reply, India lost Shafali Verma in the fourth over to Kirstie Gordon, but vice-captain Smriti Mandhana managed to score 10 boundaries in her innings of 47 off 28 balls. The left-hander also added 33 off 27 balls with Amanjot before being dismissed by Alice Davidson-Richards.
Captain Harmanpreet Kaur scored four quick boundaries in her 16-ball 28, but she was dismissed by Sarah Glenn.
Keeper-batter Richa Ghosh made up for a single-digit score from the previous game with a fighting 37 off 23 balls. She found some support from Radha Yadav (17 not out off 15 balls). But it was too late as Glenn removed her in the 19th over. Ryana Macdonald-Gay gave away just five runs in the final over. She claimed two wickets as India stopped short of six runs.
The first T20I between England and India will be played in Nottingham on Saturday.
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