India vs England Women : 2nd ODI
Taunton stood waiting for the Women in Blue to present them with the singular chance of having a clinch at the ODI series against their English counterparts. Hosts, however, had other plans. It was a seal deal for the English women who have laid their hands onto the bilateral series in some style.
Also Read : Testing intent and sailing through pressure : 1st ODI
Quick guide:
Match Summary
The coin, as though pliable, went down in favour of the hosts and Indian women were asked to bat first. The theme for Indian batting seems to have stuck as the numbers varied but the bigger picture narrates a very similar tale.
Shafali and her stay on the pitch was precise. She played her shots and faced healthy amount of deliveries with a scoring rate of 80. Mandhana was agile as well for her 22. It was not late into the game when the Indian middle order was called upon the service. With Jemimah at number 3, there were indications of some work from the thinktank. The plans, however, drew no results as the middle order failed to build upon the start again.
While Mithali played her part with a half century, the strike rate for the greater part of her innings was close to 55. There was not a lot for the Indian batting order to have against their names in the card. Harmanpreet settled with 19 off 39 but was sent back packing before she could capitalize her time in the middle. The next four batters of the middle and lower middle order came together to form something resembling an OTP with their scores and that too an easy one. Their contributions were two 5s and two 2s respectively.
Just as the scorer thought his day was half done, Jhulan had some surprises. She was the not only India’s fastest bowler but her batting had the highest scoring rate too. She scored run-a-ball 19 to give India some chance alongside a handy 10 from Poonam.
Kate Cross emerged as the star with the ball and took a sensational 5-fer. English fielders ensured that the Indian mishits were accounted for. Amy Jones showcased her skill set with the gloves and was matched by her Indian counterpart Taniya Bhatia.
English side started their innings with a positive note. Winfield Hill looked in touch with her busy 44. Inform Beaumont played the wrong line and exposed her stumps which went rolling as Goswami got her first breakthrough of the game.
Indian bowlers got the game interesting. English middle order got starts but failed to convert them. It has to be noted that Indian side has time and again found itself in such situations where middle order fails to click as a core.
The response from the English side highlights, for all the cricketing fans, the reasons why they stand apart from the rest amongst the best in the world. It was time for Sophia Dunkley to take charge. She was well supported by seasoned campaigner Brunt. Dunkley got fast 70 odd and Brunt with her 33 ensured an comfortable win for their side. Indian bowling was affective in patches and had the hopes high when the English middle order crumbled.
English side have used the match to a considerable effect by checking the strength of their batting. They have a formidable side where players step up at the occasion and the reliance is not on handful faces. India, on the other hand, needs to revise learnings. Slow and steady won’t always win the race especially in white ball game.
Key Take-aways
- It is important to make a few changes to test which combination of team works best for good results. They may not necessarily mean the members who are replaced are bad/not up to the mark. Sometimes team dynamics look different and it is important to switch team members/players as per the need and do what is necessary to reach the goal set as a team.
- Patience is extremely important in the process. Sometimes the growth is very subtle and may almost feel like its not happening but small steps like making necessary changes, shifting the gears, contributing more to the team in best way possible, trying to step up (which often in cricket comes with a risk of losing your wicket) should not go unnoticed. Acknowledging the progress no matter how small it is – is important.
- Sometimes even when you give your best, you may fall short of something or the other to cross the line. The key here is to understand what is needed to be done in order to cross the line and adapt those points in the execution, not just practice for it.
- While we are always result driven in our lives too, it is also important to be process driven and understand that more experience and time only helps you get better in whichever field you are in.
India lost the 1st ODI with not much of a fight but in the 2nd ODI, they were out there and putting their best foot forward and putting a lot more pressure on England with time-to-time wickets. Unfortunately, they could not cross the line but in the 3rd ODI we look forward to see them cross the line and win it this time!
Stats and records from the game
- Mithali Raj registered her 57th 50+ score in ODIs after her 59 (92) in 2nd ODI. She is also the highest run-scorer in Women’s ODIs with 7229 runs.
- Mithali Raj is first Indian player (both men and women) to have a most 50+ scores in England (14 times) followed by Rahul Dravid / Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma- all having scored 50+ score 13 times in England.
- Kate Cross’ 5/34 in this game was her 2nd ODI fifer. She registered her first fifer against New Zealand
- Natalie Sciver picked up her 50th ODI wicket after dismissing Shikha Pandey in the 2nd ODI.
Jhulan Goswami has become the first ever woman to take 100 second innings wickets in ODIs.
100* – Jhulan Goswami🇮🇳
98 – Cathryn Fitzpatrick🇦🇺
91 – Ellyse Perry🇦🇺
85 – Sana Mir🇵🇰#ENGvIND— Kausthub Gudipati (@kaustats) June 30, 2021
~Shubham Sharma (Guest Author), Urvi Shah (Author)
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