Women’s WC: Batting collapse hurts India again as side suffers 4-wicket loss to England

England registered their first win of their Women’s World Cup on Wednesday when they defeated India by 4 wickets on Wednesday.

In a fairly one-sided contest, England bowled India out on 134 in 36.2 overs before chasing down the target with over 100 balls to spare.

The English team did lose six wickets while chasing down the lowly target, however, due to their attempts to finish the game early and improve the Net Run Rate.

After inviting India to bat first, England made early inroads in the game, removing Yastika Bhatia (8), Mithali Raj (1) and Deepti Sharma (0) early in the game.

Smriti Mandhana (35) top-scored for India but the side lacked a partnership in the middle. Richa Ghosh (33) helped India steer past the 100-run mark and her run-out dismissal was the final nail in the coffin for Indian innings.

For England, Charlotte Dean was the pick of the bowlers, as she ended with figures of 4/23 in 8.2 overs.

India made a bright start in their bowling, with Jhulan Goswami and Meghna Singh removing openers Tammy Beaumont (1) and Danielle Wyatt (1) respectively within the first three overs. However, Heather Knight (53*) forged a 65-run partnership with Natalie Sciver (45) to take the game away from India.

England had earlier suffered close defeats to Australia, West Indies, and South Africa; however, with the win over India, England kept themselves alive in the race for a semi-final spot.

India, meanwhile, faced their second defeat of the tournament, having faced a 62-run loss to New Zealand in their second match of the edition.

With the win, England’s NRR stands at 0.35 as the side climbs to sixth position in the standings. India, meanwhile, remain at third position with two wins in four matches; their NRR has fallen to 0.63.