India choke after a grand chase vs England women to lose by 4 runs in a thriler

 

 

In cricket, if you can’t finish a match, even centuries, half-centuries, or five-wicket hauls lose their value. That’s exactly what happened to Smriti Mandhana, Harmanpreet Kaur, and Deepti Sharma on Sunday. The first two fought hard under pressure to score half-centuries, while Deepti contributed with both bat and ball — scoring a fifty and taking four wickets. Yet, none of it was enough, as India suffered a heartbreaking 4-run defeat to England in the Women’s World Cup clash at Indore.

This loss marked India’s third consecutive defeat, severely denting their chances of reaching the semifinals. Now, India must win both of their remaining matches to stay in contention, while England have sealed their semifinal spot. That leaves just one berth open — to be contested between India and New Zealand.

Chasing England’s 288, India had another poor start. Opener Pratika Rawal was dropped early by Charlie Dean but couldn’t capitalize, falling in the third over to Lauren Bell. Harleen Deol joined Smriti Mandhana to steady the innings after the early blow, but her stay was short-lived as she was trapped LBW by Dean.

Harmanpreet Kaur then joined Smriti at the crease. The experienced pair realized that losing another wicket could cost India the game, especially since they were playing one batter short. Their twin goals were clear — preserve wickets and maintain the scoring rate. They succeeded in both, targeting at least one boundary per over. England’s bowlers — pace or spin — couldn’t dislodge them as both reached their half-centuries. Their 125-run partnership ended in the 31st over when Harmanpreet (70) was caught by Emma Lamb off Nat Sciver-Brunt.

Deepti Sharma then joined Mandhana, and the scoring pace stayed healthy at around six runs per over. But Smriti’s dismissal in the 42nd over triggered a collapse. Expectations were high from Richa Ghosh to finish the chase alongside Deepti, but after Richa’s dismissal, India’s hopes faded. Deepti fought hard for her fifty but couldn’t carry the team home — her wicket in the 47th over effectively sealed India’s fate.

Earlier, England won the toss and chose to bat. India’s bowling had faced criticism for lacking depth in earlier games, having played only five bowlers. To address that, Jemimah Rodrigues was replaced by pacer Renuka Singh.

Renuka opened the attack and almost struck early, but a no-ball nullified the chance. Tammy Beaumont signaled England’s intent with a boundary off the next delivery. India’s bowlers managed to restrict runs during the powerplay but failed to pick wickets.

After the drinks break, Deepti removed Beaumont (22), but Amy Jones kept the scoreboard ticking with composed batting, scoring 56 before falling to Deepti. Like India, England’s second-wicket partnership between Heather Knight and Nat Sciver-Brunt proved crucial. The duo added 113 runs, handling India’s bowlers with ease. Even with an extra bowler, India’s attack lacked control and consistency. Knight dominated with aggressive stroke play while Sciver-Brunt played the anchor role.

Their partnership was broken in the 39th over when Sri Charani dismissed Sciver-Brunt (38). Knight went on to score a superb century — her third in Women’s World Cup history — before falling for 109 in the 45th over.

India made a late comeback by claiming quick wickets — Dunkley (15), Lamb (11), Capsey (2), and Ecclestone (3) — but England still managed to post 288. A total that, despite India’s spirited chase, proved just beyond reach.