1st T20I, ENG W Vs IND W ,2025 Highlights : Mandhana’s Ton and Debutant Charani’s Four-Fer Claimed India’s Dominant Victory Over England .

1ST T20I, ENGLAND W Vs INDIA W , NOTTINGHAM, 2025 HIGHLIGHTS : Mandhana’s Ton and Debutant Charani’s Four-Fer Claimed India’s Dominant Victory Over England .

Stand-in skipper Smriti Mandhana’s polished maiden T20 International century was the sole shining light in an otherwise disappointing 97-run defeat to England in the opening T20 International in Nottingham on Saturday. The five-match T20I series is now 1-0 in favour of the visitors. Mandhana (112, 62 balls) and Harleen Deol (43, 23 balls) shared 94 runs for the second wicket, consolidating India’s position at 210 for five in the stipulated 20 overs after being put in to bat. Skipper Nat Sciver Brunt (66, 42 balls) fought a lone battle for England as India restricted them to 113 all out in 14.5 overs with the Indian bowlers doing most of the job played at the AIT on the outskirts of the city of pink. Mandhana’s Ton and Debutant Charani’s Four-Fer Claimed India’s Dominant Victory Over England .

Left-arm spinner Shree Charani (4/12) was the most successful bowler for India- debutants as there was little of substance that could be said about England’s effort after they lost half of the side within the first 10 overs scoring less than 100 at one stage.

TOSS-

England Women won the toss and decided to field.

PLAYING XI-

England Women Squad:

Sophia Dunkley, Danielle Wyatt Hodge, Nat Sciver Brunt (c), Tammy Beaumont, Amy Jones (wk), Alice Capsey, Sophie Ecclestone, Em Arlott, Lauren Filer, Linsey Smith, Lauren Bell

India Women Squad:

Smriti Mandhana (c), Shafali Verma, Harleen Deol, Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh (wk), Deepti Sharma, Amanjot Kaur, Sneh Rana, Radha Yadav, Arundhati Reddy, Shree Charani

INDIA WOMEN-

Mandhana played a captain’s knock to drive India s 210, after India had opted to rest Harmanpreet Kaur after she suffered a head injury in the warm-up game earlier this week. With Shafali Verma a bit tentative on comeback, it was on the senior partner to steer the chase and Mandhana seized complete control, hitting all around the ground. At a blustery Nottingham, Mandhana countered the conditions and the match-ups – an area where new skipper Nat Sciver-Brunt erred early in the piece. She found a first three boundaries from the new-ball bowlers before launching into the left-arm spinner Linsey Smith who bowled in front of the experienced Sophie Ecclestone.

By the time the spinner did come on after the PowerPlay, Mandhana greeted the veteran with a slog-sweep over midwicket the very first ball, and then another two balls later. Mandhana’s continuous assault meant India found runs at over 9 for the duration of the first half, and then she shifted gears through the middle overs following her 31st T20I half-century – a 27-ball innings. Her 112 made Mandhana the first Indian, and fifth woman overall, to have scored a hundred in all three international formats. It is also India Women’s highest individual score in the format, overtaking Harmanpreet’s 103 in the 2018 World Cup against New Zealand.

Deol, playing her first T20I in almost two years, was picked on Harmanpreet’s off day. Also propelled to no. 3 on the back of her on-fire ODI form, Deol justified the management’s decision with a 23-ball 43, smattered with seven boundaries. Verma’s dismissal might have impeded India, but Deol entered with purpose and for most of her 94-ball partnership with the stand-in captain, batted at at strike rate of 200 plus. Deol is usually a slow starter, but she flicked the switch on that front as well, taking three boundaries in her 13-run over – bowled by the returning Linsey Smith – to keep the momentum going as she hurtled to an 8-ball 20 in no time.

But Mandhana being unable to retain strike for much of the death overs, after getting to a hundred, was where India slipped in the business end of their innings. Bell accounted for quick-scoring Richa Ghosh and Jemimah Rodrigues within three deliveries in the 18th over as she returned with outstanding figures of 3 for 27, which reads more impressive given the high-scoring nature of the game. This was backed up by an excellent penultimate over by Arlott, which cost only five runs and left Mandhana itching to launch the remaining balls. But the India captain did fall when she leant back to loft Sophie Ecclestone wide of long on for four off the first-ball she received from the spinner only to mistime the next one and was caught at long on as India “sank to 43 for three”. She walked off with a standing ovation at Trent Bridge for a fabulous 112, and India ended on 210 when 225+ was looking on the cards not long back. Still, this is India’s second highest T20I total and their best against England.

ENGLAND WOMEN-

India had only medium pacers at their disposals in the fast-bowling department and they threw the new ball to Amanjot Kaur, who started off with a short and wide delivery to allow Sophia Dunkely to begin the chase with a boundary. But the English opener got an edge off another such delivery to be caught behind to end the mixed-bag in the first over. Deepti Sharma, at the other end, would account immediately as Danni Wyatt-Hodge bagged a three-ball duck. While Sciver-Brunt attempted to take it to the bowlers, with Deepti on her return for the final PowerPlay over, the Indian dismissed Tammy Beaumont to keep England down at 58/3 at the end of the first-six.

Indian spinners continued to exert pressure on England, with Radha Yadav scalping two wickets in her first two overs to send Amy Jones and Arlott back, and Charani picking the dangerous Alice Capsey for her first wicket. It was the business as usual for Englands captain who fought all alone in a sinking ship on a cloudy and difficult day at the office. Her 31-ball half-century arrived in the 12th over but Sciver-Brunt had soon run out of partners. Ecclestone went for an ill-judged slog-sweep off the frugal Charani and plonked out Rodrigues on the ropes perfectly. Sciver-Brunt’s edge behind, off the debutant, was given not out but overturned. It was genuinely on the wall for the hosts. Another three balls on, and Bell sent one more in Rodrigues’ direction as England slipped to 113 for all of which their captain contributed 66.

Brief scores:

India 210/5 in 20 overs (Smriti Mandhana 112, Harleen Deol 43; Lauren Bell 3-27) beat England 113 all out in 14.5 overs (Nat Sciver-Brunt 66; Shree Charani 4-12, Deepti Sharma 2-32, Radha Yadav 2-15) by 97 balls.