India Women Clinch First-Ever T20I Series Win Over England.
India’s women’s cricket team made history at Old Trafford on Wednesday, sealing their first-ever bilateral T20I series victory against England with a clinical six-wicket win in the fourth match. The result gave the visitors an unassailable 3–1 lead in the five-match series and marked their maiden multi-match series triumph on English soil.
England Falter After Steady Start
Opting to bat first, England looked sharp early on as openers Danni Wyatt-Hodge and Sophia Dunkley got the hosts off to a steady start. But the momentum was checked when Shree Charani dismissed Wyatt-Hodge in the third over with the score at 21.
Dunkley struck a fluent 22 off 19 before falling to Deepti Sharma just as the powerplay ended, leaving England 38 for 2. Skipper Tammy Beaumont and Alice Capsey added 35 to revive the innings, but India’s bowlers soon took charge.
Radha Yadav led the effort with a miserly spell of 2 for 15, while Charani chipped in with 2 for 30. England collapsed from 73 for 2 to 110 for 7 before a late burst from Issy Wong and Sophie Ecclestone pushed them to a modest 126 for 7.
Confident India Chase Down Target
India’s chase was brisk and assured. Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana attacked from the outset, racing to 56 in under five overs. Verma made a quickfire 31, and Mandhana contributed 28 before both fell in quick succession.
Jemimah Rodrigues and captain Harmanpreet Kaur then stitched a calm 48-run stand, taking India within sight of victory. Though Kaur departed with 10 needed, Rodrigues stayed composed and unbeaten, guiding India home with three overs to spare.
A Landmark Series Win
The series began with a thumping 97-run win for India at Trent Bridge — their largest T20I victory against England — followed by a 24-run success in Bristol. England fought back to take the third match by five runs at The Oval, but India bounced back strongly in Manchester to clinch the series.
The fifth and final T20I will be played at Edgbaston, Birmingham, on Saturday. The two sides will then meet again for a three-match ODI series beginning 16 July.
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