England kept their hopes alive in the T20I series with a five-run win against India in a thrilling final-over finish in the third match at The Oval. The hosts finally made a comeback after losing the first two games as they managed to put together a strong opening performance with the bat. Sophia Dunkley and Danni Wyatt-Hodge gave them a flying start, putting on a huge 137-run partnership for the first wicket.
Both players were looking set as Dunkley scored 75 and Wyatt-Hodge hit 66. However, Deepti Sharma tried to shift the momentum of the game, dismissing Dunkley with a return catch, and England lost control. Arundhati Reddy then took three wickets in a single over, and England’s batting fell apart. From 137 without loss, they collapsed to 171 for 9, losing nine wickets for just 34 runs in under five overs.
While chasing, India openers Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Varma were off to a good start as they stitched an 85-run stand for the first wicket and made a mockery of England's poor fielding. England dropped three easy catches.
Mandhana was in fine form, reaching her fifty in 38 balls. Shafali played a fast-paced knock of 47, hitting 7 fours and 2 sixes, before being bowled by Sophie Ecclestone. After Jemimah Rodrigues was dismissed by a fiery spell from Lauren Filer, England began to fight back.
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Even then, India were still ahead. Mandhana was still batting, and the required run rate was comfortable. But a few dot balls built pressure, and she mistimed a shot straight to mid-on, giving Filer her second wicket and shifting the momentum again.
With 20 runs needed from the last two overs and Harmanpreet Kaur and Richa Ghosh at the crease, India still had a chance. But Ghosh was caught brilliantly by Charlie Dean in the deep, and England’s bowlers used slower balls and clever changes in pace to stop India from scoring quickly.
In the final over, India needed 12 to win. Lauren Bell bowled tightly and left India needing 6 runs off the last ball. Harmanpreet tried to go big, but found Sophie Ecclestone at mid-off, handing England a hard-fought win.
Earlier, England’s strong start came from Dunkley and Wyatt-Hodge, who punished any loose deliveries and took England to 137 in just over 15 overs. But Deepti Sharma (3-27), Arundhati Reddy (3-32), and Shree Charani helped India claw back by taking regular wickets.
Brief Scores:
England 171/9 in 20 overs (Dunkley 75, Wyatt-Hodge 66; Deepti 3-27, Arundhati 3-32)
India 166/5 in 20 overs (Mandhana 56, Shafali 47; Filer 2-30)
Result: England won by 5 runs.