The Indian women’s cricket team beat England by 38 runs in the opening match of the ENG-W vs IND-W T20 2026 series at County Ground in Chelmsford on Thursday.
Jemimah Rodrigues smashed 69 off 40 balls while Yastika Bhatia marked her return with a fluent 40-ball 54 as India recovered from early setbacks to post 188/7. Lauren Bell was England’s standout bowler with figures of 3/34.
In the chase, England managed only 150/8 despite a fighting 67 off 48 by Amy Jones while Nandani Sharma, on her T20I debut, was the pick of the bowlers for India, scalping 3/34 in her four overs.
Stand-in captain Smriti Mandhana, leading the Indian cricket team in the absence of the rested Harmanpreet Kaur, was asked to bat first to endure a nightmare start.
Mandhana fell off the very first ball of the innings before Bell dismissed Shafali Verma later in the over to leave India reeling at 7/2.
However, Yastika Bhatia and Jemimah Rodrigues launched a counterattack, adding a record 126-run partnership for the third wicket for India in just 76 balls.
Yastika Bhatia, returning to the Indian setup after missing the South Africa series through injury, struck nine fours and a six in her knock. Rodrigues matched the tempo at the other end with 10 boundaries and a six.
India crossed the 100-run mark inside 10 overs and looked set for a big total before England fought back. Charlie Dean dismissed Rodrigues with a sharp return catch immediately after Yastika was run out.
India soon slumped from 133/2 to 148/6 in a space of 16 balls. Deepti Sharma provided a late flourish with 22 off 13 balls to help India finish on 188/7.
In response, England too got off to a shaky start, losing both their openers by the fourth over off Kranti Gaud’s bowling. Amy Jones then joined Heather Knight to get the hosts past the 100-run mark in the 14th over with the asking rate steadily rising.
Knight (21) soon departed while the well-settled Amy Jones was dismissed in the 16th over with England’s score at 120/4. At the stage, the required run rate crept up as the hosts needed a daunting 69 runs off just 25 balls to win.
Nandani Sharma’s dismissal of Jones was enough to send England on the backfoot as they finished their innings at 150/8. Nandani struck two more times to emerge as India’s ace with the ball.
The next England vs India T20 match will be played at the County Ground in Bristol on Saturday.
ENG-W vs IND-W T20 2026, 1st match, brief scores: India Women 188/7 in 20 overs (Jemimah Rodrigues 69, Yastika Bhatia 54; Lauren Bell 3/34) beat England Women 150/8 in 20 overs (Amy Jones 67, Nandani Sharma 3/34) by 38 runs.
read more: https://www.olympics.com/en/news/england-vs-india-women-t20-2026-cricket-match-1-report
