India claim ODI series over England to cap successful tour

Harmanpreet Kaur’s Indian team rounded off a successful tour of England by winning the final women’s ODI by 13 runs as the deciding match ended in riveting scenes at Chester-le-Street. Set a target of 319, England fell short of what would have been a record chase, thus handing India their second white-ball trophy in a row after they won the preceding T20I series 3-2.

Chasing 319, England captain Nat Sciver-Brunt made 98 from 105 balls and added 162 for the third wicket with Emma Lamb who contributed 68 off 81. The pair had been joined at a perilous score of 8/2 after three overs and took the fight back to India in stirring manner. 

Sciver-Brunt and Lamb – who was dropped on 6 and 58 – added 47 in five overs before the latter was bowled in the 31st over by Shree Charani. Needing to get the dangerous England captain desperately, India found it in the 35th over when DRS showed that Sciver-Brunt had gloved an attempted sweep off spinner Deepti Sharma. That wicket meant that England needed a further 124 runs from 90 balls, very achievable by ODI standards. 

But India kept striking at key junctures even as Sophie Dunkley (34), Alice Davidson-Richards (44) and Charlie Dean (21) threatened with handy cameos. Dunkley was run out and Kranti Gaud, who had earlier taken out Tammy Beaumont and Amy Jones in her opening spell, grabbed four wickets at the back end as England collapsed. 

With 44 runs needed from 19 balls, Davidson-Richards was the last hope for England, but Gaud removed her and then Lauren Filer off the next ball, and then ended the match with a sixth wicket in the last over of the game. 

Earlier, Harmanpreet crossed 4000 runs in women’s ODI cricket with a seventh century in the format, her 102 from 84 deliveries the axis around which India made 318/5 from their 50 overs. After Harmanpreet won the toss, India were given a good start from Smriti Mandhana (45) and Pratika Rawal (26), after which Harleen Deol contributed 45. 

The big partnership of the innings came from Harmanpreet and Jemimah Rodrigues (50) and Richa Ghosh’s unbeaten 38 from 18 balls helped the trio loot 120 runs off the final ten overs.