I have said enough for now. England played efficiently, while India was not at their best. Hopefully, the next game on Saturday will be more competitive. I will return for the second match of the three-game series. A report will be posted soon – thank you for watching.

However, India’s performance in the first half was lacking. Both Sciver-Brunt and Wyatt were given second chances during their batting, as the home team faced difficulties on the field. Additionally, their spinners were ineffective in posing a serious challenge. While Shafali Verma did receive some assistance from Harmanpreet Kaur and Richa Ghosh in their pursuit, there was never a moment where it seemed like India could successfully carry out a surprise victory. Heather Knight strategically rotated her bowling options, and saving Ecclestone for the end meant India had to take bigger risks sooner.

Bell finishes the necessary procedures, but a misfield results in Vastrakar scoring a boundary on the last ball of the game.

England put on an impressive performance, especially after being tied 2-2 just a few hours prior. Despite initially struggling against Renuka Singh, Danni Wyatt and Nat Sciver-Brunt turned things around with a remarkable partnership of 138 runs for the third wicket. Sophie Ecclestone led the bowling attack with 3-15 and was supported by Sarah Glenn’s leg spin. The tourists easily secured a victory and are now leading 1-0 in the three-match series.

The 19th over of the match sees India at 152-6 with Vastrakar scoring 6 runs and Deepti scoring 1. Ecclestone’s impressive figures of 3-15 come to an end, showcasing her skills as a left-arm spinner making a comeback from an injury.

Kanika makes a strong swing and presents Sciver-Brunt with an easy catch from deep midwicket. Ecclestone’s statistics continue to improve.

In the 18th over of the match, India has scored 151 runs with Kanika at 15 and Vastrakar at 6. Sciver-Brunt used their skills to create variations in their deliveries. Capsey suffered an injury while attempting a diving stop at the long-on boundary, her knee making contact with the ground. Ouch. Vastrakar finishes the over with a four towards deep midwicket.

India requires 47 runs from 12 deliveries.

In the 17th over, India’s score is 140-5 with Kanika at 9 runs and Vastrakar at 1. India requires 58 runs in the next 18 overs as England edges closer. Ecclestone has one more over left to bowl.

Shafali makes her move, and with it, the outcome of the game is decided. Her attempt at a powerful hit results in a looping ball that is easily caught by the fielder stationed at point.

In the 16th over, India’s score is 133-4 with Kanika at 3 and Shafali at 52. Bell delivers a short ball to Shafali, with the keeper close to the stumps. Shafali tries to hit an upper-cut but misses and the ball is collected by Amy Jones. Bell then changes the pace of the ball as Shafali approaches and attempts a pull shot. On the other end, Kanika Ahuja moves across her stumps as Bell bowls five wides down the leg side, making the game more intense.

India requires 65 runs with 24 balls remaining.

At the end of the 15th over, India’s score is 124-4 with Shafali at 50 runs and Kanika at 1 run. Shafali reaches her half-century in 37 balls while Glenn finishes a great spell of 1 wicket for 25 runs in four overs.

India requires 74 runs in 30 deliveries.

Glenn remains in the game as Knight preserves two overs from Ecclestone for the end, and the leg spinner is once again keeping India restricted to just three singles… and then takes a wicket! Richa takes a chance with a lofted shot but is caught by Capsey at long-off. Glenn’s hard work pays off with a well-deserved wicket.

In the fourteenth over, India’s score is 119-3 with Shafali at 47 and Richa at 20. Sciver-Brunt delivers a short ball to Shafali, who hits a pull shot that results in a top edge. However, the ball lands safely on the onside, not causing any trouble for the batter. The two batters continue to score runs through singles and doubles, and an attempted big hit is caught in the cover region. Knight tries to make a difficult catch, but is unable to do so, which would have been an impressive dismissal of Richa.

India requires 79 runs from 36 deliveries.

In the 13th over, India’s score is 110-3 with Richa scoring 13 and Shafali scoring 46. Lauren Bell replaces Knight as Ecclestone is held back. Shafali hits a four on the off side to start the over. She ends the over with a cross-bat shot for four more runs off a slow change-up from Bell, keeping the game competitive.

India requires 88 runs in 42 deliveries.

In the 12th over, India’s score is 99 for 3 with Shafali at 37 and Richa at 12. Richa hits a four off Glenn and then follows it up with a six over deep midwicket with a slog-sweep.

India requires 99 runs from 48 deliveries.

In the 11th over, India’s score is 87-3 with Richa Ghosh scoring 1 and Shafali Verma scoring 36. Ecclestone shows great skill by bowling tightly to Richa. However, she loses her line slightly on the last ball, allowing Shafali to hit a late cut and score a boundary.

India requires 111 runs in 54 deliveries.

Ecclestone returns and successfully dismisses Harmanpreet! The left-handed bowler delivers a straight ball with no spin, causing the batter to deflect the ball onto the stumps.

In the 10th over, India’s score is 82 for 2 with Harmanpreet at 26 and Shafali at 32. Glenn is still bowling and is proving to be a challenging opponent. She delivers five consecutive dot balls to Harmanpreet, but then loses control and gives away five wides on the leg side. This mistake breaks the pressure, but India manages to score a single, turning what could have been a great over into just a decent one.

India are currently at 76-2 in the 9th over, with Shafali scoring 32 and Harmanpreet scoring 25. Surprisingly, Ecclestone is not bowling and Kemp is back in action. India appears to be benefiting from this change, as Harmanpreet smashes a six over the leg-side boundary with confidence. She then gets four more runs with a leading edge that was intended to be a legside flick but ended up as an offside boundary.

In the eighth over, India’s score is 58 for 2 with Harmanpreet scoring 9 runs and Shafali scoring 31 runs. England decides to make a change in their bowling by bringing in Sarah Glenn’s leg-spin. She manages to keep the runs in check, only giving away a few singles and a leg-bye.

In the seventh over, India’s score is 55-2 with Harmanpreet at 8 runs and Shafali at 30 runs. England makes a strategic move by introducing Sophie Ecclestone into the game. Her initial delivery results in a sharp bounce and she adapts quickly, varying her pace. When she bowls at a slower speed, there is a beautiful curve to her ball and she finishes the over with a stunning delivery that misses Shafali’s bat. Only two runs are scored in this impressive first set.

In the sixth over, India’s score is 53 for 2 wickets. Shafali, who has scored 29 runs, hits a full ball and sends it flying over mid-off for a four. Harmanpreet Kaur also contributes with a four by cutting a wide ball.

Kemp makes a crucial strike on her first delivery! The left-handed fast bowler delivers a ball that is close to the body and Rodrigues attempts to cut it, resulting in an edge that is caught by Jones. The Wankhede stadium falls silent once again.

In the fifth over, India’s score is 41 for 1 with Rodrigues at 4 runs and Shafali at 24 runs. Jemimah hits a good shot off a full delivery from Sciver-Brunt, but it almost results in a catch for Sarah Glenn at mid-off. However, the ball drops just short. Shafali follows with a skillful stroke, gently guiding the ball behind point and splitting the gap for four runs. She then hits a beautiful shot over mid-on for four more runs. The over ends with another boundary, slightly lucky through the off side, bringing a successful over for India.

In the fourth over, India has a score of 28-1 with Rodrigues scoring 3 and Shafali scoring 12. Gaur is back to bowl and Kemp impressively dives to catch the ball with one hand after it bounces off Shafali’s bat. Jemimah then hits a leading edge, but the ball lands without any danger on the off side. Shafali decides to take matters into her own hands and hits the ball hard for a four down the ground. Gaur bounces back with three consecutive dot balls.

In the third over, India’s score is at 22 for the loss of one wicket, with Shafali at 7 runs and Rodrigues at 2 runs. Jemimah takes a swing at an outswinger and barely manages to hit the ball through cover for a couple of runs. England’s standout player finishes off a clean and influential first over.

Sciver-Brunt enters the scene and promptly delivers! Their delivery is an inswinger aimed towards the left-handed player, and unfortunately, the ball evades their attempted leg-side hit.

Second over: India scores 20 runs without any wickets (Shafali scores 7, Mandhana scores 6). Lauren Bell bowls from the other side and starts with a bouncer, but unfortunately, her accuracy is affected by wide deliveries towards the leg-side, resulting in extra runs for India. Bell’s delivery is curving in towards the right-handed batsman, but she needs to focus on finding the right line.

First over: India scores 12 runs without any wickets (Shafali scores 6, Mandhana scores 5). Gaur starts off with a wide ball on the leg side and then bowls a few balls that are too straight. Shafali manages to flick one behind square on the leg side for a four, even though Freya Kemp makes a great diving effort. Gaur’s ball also swings a bit, but Mandhana joins in on the action by hitting the final ball of the over straight down the ground for another four.

The game has started. Mahika Gaur begins for England and Shafali Verma is up to bat.

England made a strong comeback after Renuka took two wickets in the first two overs. Sciver-Brunt and Wyatt led the charge with scores of 77 and 75 respectively. India was caught off guard and struggled in the field, unable to control the ball. Renuka was impressive with 3-27 in four overs, while debutant Patil also showed promise despite conceding 44 runs. I am stepping out for a snack, but the second half promises to be exciting if Mandhana and her team pick up their game.

Patil is given the responsibility of bowling the final over of the innings. Jones hits a couple of singles before hitting a six over long-on. Jones seemed to enjoy the shot as it was in the perfect spot for him. He then hits a four over extra cover followed by another four through midwicket. With only two deliveries left, England is only seven runs away from reaching 200. Jones hits another four off a short delivery from Patil and then gets out on the last ball of the over. He fails to capitalize on the full toss and hits it straight to Rodrigues at deep midwicket. Although it was a close call, Rodrigues manages to keep her balance and take the catch. Jones finishes with 23 runs while Kemp remains unbeaten at 5.

In the 19th over, England’s score is 181 for 5, with Jones at 8 and Kemp at 4. Kemp starts off strong with a powerful hit to the long-off boundary for four runs.

Renuka takes on the penultimate over and starts off strongly with a dot ball, followed by a couple of singles. Jones shows initiative by moving across the crease for a leg-side shot, but Rodrigues at deep midwicket makes a fantastic diving stop. And just when things were looking good for the batting team, a wicket falls! Renuka throws a slower ball that is wide of the off stump, tempting Sciver-Brunt to take a swing and resulting in an outside edge. Ghosh makes a spectacular catch, diving to her right.