3.36 pm: Ekta Bisht spins a web around the tail to wrap up the contest and give India a 66-run victory. The left-arm spinner first dismisses Anya Shrubsole, who skipped down the track to work the ball around and ended up providing a catch to the bowler. On the next delivery, Sophie Ecclestone is rooted to the crease and pushes forward to defend; the ball eludes the bat and hits the off-stump. It's a dismissal that would make any spinner proud. After the hat-trick is averted by the No. 11 — Alex Hartley, who defends a full delivery on off-stump — she is bowled too, again, the ball hitting the top of off-stump.
Three wickets in the over. Ekta finishes with a four-wicket haul.
The all-round bowling effort rescued the side after an underwhelming performance by the batters. Ekta turned out to be the star, finishing it off in style, but seamers Jhulan Goswami and Shikha Pandey took crucial wickets as well and kept it tight upfront. Despite a shaky start, England was well in the hunt for the win with a 73-run partnership for the fourth wicket between Heather Knight and Natalie Sciver. Deepti's smart run-out of Sciver turned it around; it precipitated a collapse from which England couldn't recover.
"The pitch deteriorated faster than we thought it would," admits Heather Knight after the game. Bisht is adjudged the Player of the Match.
So, India takes a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. We'll be back for the second ODI between India and England on Monday; until then, it's goodbye.
3.33 pm: Elwiss is undone by an sharp, accurate delivery from Jhulan Goswami that pitches on a good-length on middle-stump and hits the top of off. It's a top-class delivery, swinging slightly away from the batter. England seven down now. It needs 68 more to win, off 10 overs.
3.18 pm: The chase is getting more difficult for the visiting team now. After scoring seven runs, Katherine Brunt tries to play a drive, but the ball delivered by Ekta beats her and she is stumped. She doesn't wait for the umpire's verdict and trudges off. After 37 overs, England is 126 for 6, it needs another 77 runs off 78 deliveries.
3.02 pm: Now, Danny Wyatt trudges back to the dressing room as well. She plays a belligerent stroke off Ekta, dragging a ball from outside off stump to hole out to the long-on fielder. England five down with 89 still to get.
Katherine Brunt is the new batter.
2.56 pm: Presence of mind from Poonam Yadav gives India the elusive fourth wicket. The partnership is broken, thanks to a run out of Natalie Sciver. Sciver had been backing up too far and a quick throw by the bowler catches Sciver short. It was a loopy delivery that was chipped straight back at Poonam by Knight; although it fell short of a catch, bouncing in front of the bowler, Poonam collected the ball and quickly directed the ball to the back of her. The run-out shout wasn't very convincing, but replays confirmed it.
2.44 pm: An eventful over from Deepti Sharma. She is hit for a boundary by Sciver through square leg; it's a firmly struck sweep that travels to the rope quickly. Then, she entices Sciver with a ball that stops on the wicket; Sciver nearly gives her a caught-and-bowled chance. Deepti tries to get to the ball but it bounces just in front of her. A lucky escape for Sciver.
2.37 pm: Meanwhile, Sciver moves on to 31 with a four through extra-cover. It was a full delivery from Deepti and Sciver took full toll.
2.34 pm: With a dab to third man for a single off Shikha, Knight moves on to 27, and the partnership is worth 51 now. It's been a slow recovery for England since the dismissal of Taylor. The contest is very much in the balance; the required run-rate is still below five per over.
2.27 pm: Shikha Pandey is brought back into the attack. But she is not very accurate in terms of length in her seventh over. Knight plays two confident drives off full deliveries outside off-stump; on both occasions, she finds the fielder in the circle — the mid-off fielder and the point fielder. Then, she gets a full delivery down the leg-side, and plays a flick. Poonam makes a dive at the square-leg boundary to save a couple of runs.
2.20 pm: Sciver breaks the shackles by playing another slog sweep, off Sharma. She fetches the ball from wide outside the off-stump to deposit it to the deep midwicket boundary. She turns a delivery to leg to take two more. It's 73 for 3 after 22 overs. England needs 130 more runs to win.
2.15 pm: The batters bring forth period of consolidation against the spinners, with the field spread out. Knight collects her first boundary with a straight drive off Ekta Bisht; that is the only boundary scored in the last five overs. Sciver did try to hit out with an attempted slog sweep, but couldn't get Deepti Sharma away.
1.50 pm: Tammy Beaumont struck a tone of belligerence against the left-arm spinner Ekta Bisht, going down the track to play lofted strokes off deliveries looping up to her. She tries to play another aggressive stroke — a slog sweep — in the next over bowled by Poonam Yadav, and perishes. The ball took the edge of the bat and ballooned up to the fielder at short fine-leg. England three down.
1.46 pm: Another accurate over from Shikha, but the first ball of the over was a touch too short. Beaumont got hold of it and pulled it to the long-leg boundary for four. England is 33 for 2 after 12 overs.
1.39 pm: Shikha gets a delivery to angle in to Taylor; the balls strikes her pads and she's given out. It was a good-length delivery that pitched on the off-stump line, and struck the batter in front of the stumps. The umpire quickly raised his finger. Taylor out for 10.
Heather Knight is the new batter.
1.34 pm: Tammy Beaumont uses her wrists to turn a delivery from off-stump to leg, and takes a quick single. She dives to make it to the crease; the fielder at midwicket throws it to her end despite a call — seemingly — for the throw to be to the wicketkeeper's end. Or was it a bluff?
Taylor gets another delivery that comes into her — this time a fuller one — and she turns it to leg for two.
1.25 pm: Goswami gets a delivery to swing into the batter — Sarah Taylor — who adjusts at the last minute to get bat on it. The ball is tucked to leg for a single. Goswami and Taylor exchange a smile over it. England 19 for 1 after seven overs.
1.15 pm: Welcome back. Not a steady start by England, as a wicket is got in the second over of the day. Amy Ellen Jones is dismissed lbw by Shikha Pandey, the seamer. The ball came in to the batter, and Jones didn't have a clue about how to play the delivery.
-------------
12.15 pm: Goswami finally manages a couple of big hits. She hits a fierce pull, and later, in the over bowled by Shrubsole, tees off to cow corner for the first six of the innings. Attempting another big hit, she holes out to long-off. India is bowled out for 202, in the final over.
India's faltering innings comes to an end. Goswami may not have needed to shoulder the responsibility of helping attain a respectable total as the openers — Jemimah Rodrigues and Smriti Mandhana — and Mithali Raj had good starts. None of the them kicked on to take India till the end.
Three run-outs, including those of the set Taniya Bhatia and Shikha Pandey, did not help. Stay tuned for England's chase.
12.11 pm: And one more. Make it three for the innings. Goswami lines up for a big hit and manages a pull; the ball travels straight to the mid-on fielder. Ekta Bisht, the No. 10 batter, trots out of her crease for a single, but she is sent back by Goswami. Bisht would have avoided the dismissal had she grounded her bat in time. But at the moment when Brunt dislodged the bails, her bat was inside the crease, but in the air.
12.06 pm: Goswami plays an aggressive stroke, a cut, to collect a boundary through backward point. The ball curved away from the chasing fielder after landing. Then, Goswami pushes a ball to the in-fielder on the leg-side; Shikha tries to run a single, there is confusion, and she fails to get back to the crease on time. India eight down as Shikha departs. This makes it two run-outs in the innings.
11.59 am: An eventful 46th over, as Shikha gets a reprieve and then hits a lofted stroke over mid-off four a boundary. Elwiss could have had her third wicket had she held on to a caught-and-bowled chance; Shikha had chipped it straight to her, but she fumbled and couldn't hold on. Later, a full delivery on off-stump is lofted over the mid-off fielder's head by Shikha.
11.54 am: The batters calmly collect two singles off Elwiss, who completes her eighth over. The field is an attacking one, especially in the off-side, and Shikha Pandey is unable to find the gaps. With India seven down, the first objective would be to bat out the 50 over. India 171 for 7 after 44 overs.
11.46 am: A big wicket for England, as Mithali is dismissed. She plays all around a full delivery from Elwiss that hits her on the pads; the ball was adjacent when it struck the the batter, and the umpire duly gave it out. The recovery led by Mithali turns out to be a false dawn as India is now crumbling.
Shikha Pandey is the new batter.
11.42 am: Goswami gets off the mark with a drive past the bowler for four. It was a full and straight delivery from Shrubsole. The drive was gently played. In the next over, bowled by Elwiss, Mithali plays an on-drive, neatly bisecting the mid-on and midwicket fielders for another four.
11.29 am: Just when the batters looked set enough to take the team through till the end of the innings, a run-out. Mithali plays a delivery from Hartley to the midwicket fielder inside the circle; Bhatia takes off for a single and is sent back, but it's a direct hit on the non-striker's end and she is short. Sciver was the fielder.
Bhatia departs for 24. Like Mandhana, her's was a promising start. There were signals she would step up the gear as earlier in the over, she stepped down the track to dispatch a full toss to the deep midwicket boundary.
Jhulan Goswami is the new batter.
11.17 am: Katherine Brunt with a loud shout for lbw but Mithali survives. The umpire was not interested, and walked away from his spot shaking his head instantly. The ball struck the batter on her waist, and would perhaps go over the stumps. Mithali had hung her bat out tentatively for a defensive stroke; the ball, pitching on off-stump, snuck through her to hit her waist on middle.
11.11 am: Bhatia shifts to the off-side and plays a sweep shot fine on the leg side. Left-arm spinner Hartley the bowler. The ball nearly travels to the boundary but is saved from touching the ropes by Brunt, who dives and saves two runs.
Here's Shayan Acharya, with this information — Mithali Raj is batting for the 181st time in her ODI career. She has now played more ODI innings than any other woman cricketer. She overtakes England's Charlotte Edwards.
11.07 am: Brunt back into the attack, after the break. She gives away four singles in her over. Mithali plays two late cuts, and Bhatia plays a square drive and a tuck to fine leg.
10.59 am: Left-arm spinner Alex Hartley, in her third over, bowls full, loopy deliveries to the batters. Bhatia is not afraid to come down the track to her, but she cannot find the gap. A period of consolidation is what India needs, and a few quiet overs won't hurt the cause if wickets don't fall. It's time for the second drinks break; the first had given way to a sharp collapse, what will this one bring?
10.56 am: Bhatia gets her first boundary off the seventh delivery she faces. It's a short, wide one and Bhatia duly plays a square cut.
10.43 am: Mithali plays a gentle, copybook drive through extra-cover to collect her second boundary. Ecclestone the bowler.
10.36 am: And it's a procession, it seems. Mona Meshram is rapped on the pads by a delivery from Sciver angling in. The bowler and others rise up in appeal and the umpire gives it out. It pitched on off-stump, and struck the batter on middle. India has lost five wickets for 26 runs. Much responsibility on the shoulders of Mithali.
Taniya Bhatia is the new batter.
10.34 am: Deol, however, doesn't last long. She swipes through the leg side off a delivery from Sciver, the ball takes the outside edge, and goes up. Amy Ellen Jones, at short fine-leg, takes a simple catch.
10.30 am: India not out of the woods, yet. Rodrigues tries to turn a delivery from Ecclestone to leg, is early on her stroke, and the ball gets the outside edge of the bat and balloons to the bowler for a simple catch. It's a tame way to end what was a scintillating innings, studded with eight boundaries. Rodrigues falls for 48.
Harleen Deol, the debutant, comes out to bat, and gets off the mark with a streaky square cut that lands just short of the point fielder.
Shayan Acharya, once again, from the Wankhede Stadium - As Jemimah Rodrigues walks back to the pavilion, the crowd gives her a standing ovation. They cheer for the youngster.
10.27 am: Mithali gets two runs through cover, via an off-drive, and then collects a boundary through square leg, off a flick. She quickly moves on to 6. Sciver the bowler.
10.21 am: At the other end, another wicket for England. Deepti goes down the track to deposit the ball to oblivion, misses it, and is duly stumped by Taylor, the wicketkeeper. It's time for the English players to take a towel break; it seems to be hot as Rodrigues also signals to the dressing room to provide her a towel to wipe her face.
Deepti goes for 7. It's 85 for 2 after 19 overs. Mithali Raj, the captain, is out in the middle.
Here's Shayan Acharya, from the Wankhede Stadium - This is going to be a test for India's middle-order. They did not get enough opportunities in New Zealand, here is their chance to ensure there's no slip-up. India suddenly finds itself in trouble after losing two quick wickets.
10.19 am: Rodrigues moves on to 47 with a firmly struck straight drive for yet another boundary, the eighth of her innings. It's a slower delivery from Elwiss; Rodrigues picks it and takes full toll.
10.14 am: Spin introduced by England. Left-arm spinner Sophie Ecclestone into the attack. She bowls a quiet first over, giving away two runs. Deepti Sharma, the new batter, collects her second run — her first was a flick off Elwiss — with a drive through mid-on.
10.07 am: Against the run of play, off a loose delivery, Elwiss gets her first wicket. It's a short delivery down the leg side. Mandhana tries to play a pull shot, and gets an inside edge on to her stumps. India loses its first wicket. Mandhana out for 24. It's 69 for 1.
10.05 am: One more boundary scored by Rodrigues, again via a flick to the leg side. It's a full delivery from Sciver on leg, and she neatly guides it past square leg. After 15 overs, it's 69 for 0.
9.59 am: Mandhana nearly gifts her wicket away by taking a quick single. Rodrigues nudges the ball Elwiss to leg, and trots off for the quick single; Mandhana responds, and the fielder throws the ball to the strikers' end. Mandhana is short of her crease by the time the ball reaches the wicketkeeper standing beside the stumps; only, Sarah Taylor isn't able to collect the ball and the bail seems to have been dislodged by her gloves after the ball has passed the stumps. It's a lucky escape for Mandhana.
9.53 am: With accurate, wicket-to-wicket lines, Sciver and Elwiss have stemmed the flow of boundaries. The openers, through drives and pushes, collect singles.
9.44 am: Two contrasting strokes for boundaries from Rodrigues. First, she plays a straight drive off Georgia Elwiss, a right-arm seamer, for a boundary straight down the ground. Then, in the next over bowled by Natalie Sciver, another right-arm seamer, she edges a delivery through the vacant slips region. It brings up India's 50.
9.38 am: Rodrigues is relishing the deliveries drifting on to the leg side. She collects three boundaries through her trademark flicks — two aerial strokes off Shrubsole, one through midwicket and the other through fine-leg, and a less flourishing stroke off Brunt through midwicket along the ground. Mandhana also plays a stroke on the on-side, off Brunt, but she nearly holes out to the fielder running in from deep square leg. The fielder cannot quite reach the ball as it bounces, and it goes past her and to the boundary.
9.30 am: One hopes people start to trickle in as the day wears on. Meanwhile, Mandhana continues to illustrate the reason for spectators to enjoy the cricket; she plays a sweetly timed square drive to collect a boundary through the cover region. Katherine Brunt the bowler.
9.29 am: Here's Shayan Acharya, our reporter, from the Wankhede Stadium — As Smriti Mandhana and Jemimah Rodrigues give India a slow but steady start, there's hardly any crowd at the Wankhede Stadium. Only the friends and family members of the Indian cricketers have come to watch the team play.
9.27 am: Rodrigues plays an aggressive stroke to collect her first boundary. But it's an unconvincing stroke; an outside edge that flies to the third man boundary. Katherine Brunt, another right-arm seamer, the bowler. Mandhana, in Shrubsole's third over, gets hold of a short and wide delivery once again; a more firm stroke from her, but it's stopped by the fielder at cover.
9.16 am: Smriti Mandhana is a bit scratchy early on. She gets a short and wide delivery outside off-stump, and plays a square cut in a tentative manner to get off the mark with the boundary. The next delivery is a slower one, and she is early on the flick; the ball takes her outside edge and balloons up to cover, travelling to the fielder after bouncing once. Right-arm seamer Anya Shrubsole is the bowler.
9.10 am: A quiet couple of overs to kick off India's innings. An off-drive and a nudge down the leg side by opener Jemimah Rodrigues have given India the two runs so far.
--------
England, the World Cup 2017 champion, hopes to create history, and with star batter Harmanpreet Kaur out of its way, it may well fancy its chances. Welcome to Sportstar 's live coverage of the first women's ODI, played at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Here's the preview .
Mithali Raj, the Indian captain, hopes the youngsters in the line-up step up to fill the void left by Harmanpreet's absence due to injury.
Heather Knight, the England captain, wins the toss and chooses to bowl. Mithali is happy to be batting first, saying she would have opted to bat, had she won the toss.
Teams
India: Mithali Raj (c), Smriti Mandhana, Taniya Bhatia (wk), Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma, Harleen Deol, Mona Meshram, Jhulan Goswami, Shikha Pandey, Ekta Bisht, Poonam Yadav.
England: Tammy Beaumont, Amy Ellen Jones, Sarah Taylor (wk), Natalie Sciver, Heather Knight (c), Danielle Wyatt, Georgia Elwiss, Katherine Brunt, Anya Shrubsole, Sophie Ecclestone, Alex Hartley.
Comments
SHARE