Mumbai: India rode on a stupendous show by their bowlers and a gritty 48 by opener Smriti Mandhana to record a five-wicket win in the third and final T20 against England Women at the Wankhede Stadium here on Sunday. Spinners Saika Ishaque and Shreyanka Patil ran through the England Women lineup as India Women first bowled out the Opposition for 126 and then cantered to the target with six balls to spare.
The chase was not easy as India lost aggressive opener Shafali Verma (6) cheaply. She was cleaned up by right-arm pacer Freya Kemp.
Then Mandhana and one-down Jemimah Rodrigues (29 off 33 balls) rallied the innings with their 57-run stand for the second wicket. The duo took the game deep. When it looked like India Women would register an easy win, off-spinner Charlie Dean trapped Jemimah in front of the wickets as India Women lost their second wicket for 68.
Mandhana then took the onus as the hosts inched towards the target. Deepti Sharma (12) could not convert her start and India Women lost their third wicket for 94. Mandhana missed a deserving half-century and walked back to the pavilion. Sophie Ecclestone, who dismissed Mandhana, also sent back Richa Ghosh (2) on the first ball of the 18th over. However, skipper Harmanpreet Kaur and Amanjot Kaur took the team home without any further hiccups.
Earlier, India rookie spinners Saika Ishaque and Shreyanka Patil made their first real impression in international cricket with three wickets apiece as they bundled out the Opposition for 126. It was England skipper Heather Knight's 52 off 42 balls that took the visitors to 126 all out. Ishaque (4-0-22-3) looked in her elements while Patil produced a fabulous 4-0-19-3, as England was teetering at 76/8 in the 15th over.
However, Knight, who hammered three sixes and as many boundaries, had other ideas and she joined forces with No 10 Charlie Dean (16) to put on crucial 50 runs for the ninth wicket. Pacer Renuka Singh (2/23) initially wreaked havoc. She provided the hosts the first breakthrough early on for the third time in as many games when she got one to nip back in and beat the defence of Maia Bouchier (0).
She struck again in her next over to have the dangerous-looking Sophia Dunkley (11) caught by Patil at point for the second wicket. Ishaque then sent back a struggling Alice Capsey (7 off 16 balls) in the sixth over. England were 32/3 after six overs and a slow recovery had them crawling to 62/3 halfway through.
The pair of Ishaque and Patil got together again for another success, with the left-arm spinner getting Amy Jones (25) caught at deep midwicket in the 12th over, and on the next delivery, Ishaque cleaned up Danielle Gibson (0) to leave England in a spot of bother at 67/5.
Patil got her first wicket in the game in the 13th over. Amanjot Kaur (2/25) took a fine diving catch at backward point for the sixth wicket.
The visitors kept losing wickets at regular intervals as Patil trapped Freya Kemp (0) from her first delivery with a sharp, angled delivery which had the ball crashing into her pads first in front of the off-stump. For the record, England Women won the first two T20s, played at the same venue.
The two teams will now square off in an one off Test at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai from December 14.
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