Ahead of the second T20I match against the England women`s team, the Indian players will hope that their in-form batswoman Smriti Mandhana continues on her rich vein of form. The side will also expect its skipper, Harmanpreet Kaur, to make a return for the upcoming match.
Mandhana smashed her maiden T20I century against England in the previous clash and helped India register a 97-run win. Harmanpreet, who missed the first T20I as a precautionary measure following her head injury, may only add worries in England`s dugout if she features in the second game.
Mandhana`s stroke-filled century would have rung alarm bells in the English camp as it tries to find answers to the dramatic batting collapse it suffered while chasing a steep 210-run total.
The left-hander`s stunning knock had put the hosts in trouble, and later the Indian bowlers made the job difficult for the England batters.
Team India struck twice early, and Shree Charani stepped up to the occasion as she claimed four wickets in her first T20I match.
Mandhana, who led the T20I run-scoring charts last year, seemed to have picked up from where she had left off, smashing all the English bowlers with impunity.
Though the left-handed batter said after the match that the T20I format wasn`t her forte, it was a statement the cricket experts would take with a pinch of salt.
The camp before the series and early arrival on English soil, and a few matches, seem to have helped the Indian players to get into the rhythm for the T20I.
India looked like a well-knit unit despite missing their premier seamers, Renuka Singh Thakur and Pooja Vastrakar, who are injured.
Also, Harleen Deol at number three was outstanding as she shouldered Mandhana to register a 94-run partnership while putting a huge total on the board.
England skipper Nat Sciver-Brunt (66) waged a lone battle even as Indian spinners enjoyed a cakewalk, with Deepti Sharma and Radha Yadav too chipping in with a couple of wickets each.
Squads:
India: Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Yastika Bhatia (wk), Harleen Deol, Richa Ghosh (wk), Jemimah Rodrigues, Shafali Verma, Amanjot Kaur, Sneh Rana, Sayali Satghare, Deepti Sharma, Kranti Goud, Arundhati Reddy, Shree Charani, Radha Yadav.
England: Natalie Sciver-Brunt (c), Tammy Beaumont (wk), Sophia Dunkley, Amy Jones (wk), Danni Wyatt-Hodge, Alice Capsey, Charlie Dean, Paige Scholfield, Em Arlott, Lauren Bell, Sophie Ecclestone, Lauren Filer, Linsey Smith, Issy Wong.
(With PTI Inputs)
