Smriti Mandhana's maiden T20I century came handy for India women as they bullied England women by 97 runs in the series opener at Trent Bridge on June 28. After electing to bat first, India's captain Smriti Mandhana played a sensational knock of 112 runs, propelling the visitors to a formidable total of 210 runs.
Smriti Mandhan stars as India women bully England women by 97 runs
In response, the England Women's batting lineup collapsed like a house made of cards against the Indian bowlers and were eventually bowled out for just 113 runs. Shree Charani was the pick of the bowlers for India as she took a fiery four-fer on her debut.
Mandhana tonked 15 fours and three sixes during her dominant stay at the crease. The left-handed batter achieved a towering milestone, becoming only the second Indian woman cricketer, after Harmanpreet Kaur, to score a century in the T20 International format. Harmanpreet Kaur's century came during the India-New Zealand T20 World Cup match played in Providence on November 9, 2018, where she scored 103 runs off just 51 balls.
Mandhana reached her own century mark with a boundary off the bowling of Lauren Bell on the fourth delivery of the 16th over of India's innings, taking just 51 balls to reach the milestone. Notably, Mandhana was leading the Indian side in this series opener due to Harmanpreet Kaur's absence. She built crucial partnerships, adding 77 runs for the first wicket in 8.3 overs with Shafali Verma, who scored 20 off 22 balls, and then followed it up with a 94-run stand for the second wicket with Harleen Deol, who contributed a quick 43 off 23 balls. Mandhana's brilliant innings eventually came to an end when she was dismissed by Sophie Ecclestone on the second ball of the 20th over of India's innings. This century not only marked a personal best but also positioned Mandhana as the first Indian woman and only the fifth batter globally, alongside Heather Knight, Tammy Beaumont, Laura Wolvaardt, and Beth Mooney, to have scored a century in all three formats of women's international cricket.
In the second innings, the England Women's team faltered under pressure and were bowled out for a mere 113 runs in just 14.5 overs. The debutant for India, Shree Charani, stole the show with an impressive bowling performance, taking 4 wickets for just 12 runs in her 3.5 overs, effectively dismantling England's lower and middle order. She received good support from Deepti Sharma and Radha Yadav, who each picked up two wickets, further restricting the England innings. This performance resulted in England suffering their heaviest defeat in T20I history. Despite a valiant half-century from Nat Sciver-Brunt, who scored 66 runs, none of the other English batters could provide significant resistance, with five players being dismissed for single-digit scores.
Meanwhile, the second T20I between India and England will be played on July 1.