The wait is over. India women vs England women t20 action kicked off at Chelmsford. And what a start it delivered.
India pulled off a 38-run victory. The final score read 188/7 against England's 150/8 . But the numbers do not tell the full story. This match had everything. Early collapses. A record partnership. A dream debut. And a finish that kept everyone guessing until the final overs.
Let me walk you through exactly what happened. Who starred. Who struggled. And what this means for the T20 World Cup around the corner.
Match At A Glance
Result: India Women won by 38 runs
Venue: County Ground, Chelmsford
Toss: India elected to bat first
India innings: 188/7 in 20 overs
England innings: 150/8 in 20 overs
Player of the Match: Jemimah Rodrigues (69 off 40 balls)
The Nightmare Start That Almost Broke India
Smriti Mandhana won the toss. She chose to bat. Everything pointed to a solid start.
Then Lauren Bell happened.
First ball of the match. Mandhana drove loosely. The ball went straight to Charlie Dean at cover. Golden duck. India 0/1.
The over was not done yet. Last ball. Shafali Verma tried to muscle one over mid-on. Alice Capsey ran forward. Dived. Caught it cleanly. India 7/2 inside the first over.
Two wickets. Zero runs from the captain. The Indian dugout went silent. Fans watching at home started worrying.
This was exactly the kind of start that ruined India's South Africa tour earlier this year. The 4-1 loss still haunted the team. Another batting collapse seemed inevitable.
The 126-Run Rescue Act
Then Yastika Bhatia walked in. And everything changed.
She partnered with Jemimah Rodrigues. Together, they built something special. A 126-run stand for the third wicket. Off just 76 balls.
Yastika Bhatia's innings:
Jemimah Rodrigues' innings:
The partnership changed the momentum entirely. India went from 7/2 to 133/2 in no time. The hundred came up inside 10 overs. The crowd at Chelmsford, mostly backing England, started applauding the recovery.
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Here is what impressed me most. Both batters adapted to the conditions. The Chelmsford pitch had some bounce. The outfield was fast. They played smart cricket. Singles when needed. Boundaries when offered. No unnecessary risks.
Rodrigues reached her fifty off just 31 balls. Yastika followed soon after. The partnership became India's highest for any wicket against England in T20Is.
The Middle-Order Stumble
Just when India looked set for 200-plus, England fought back.
Charlie Dean broke the partnership. First, she ran out Yastika Bhatia with a direct hit. Then, in the same over, she caught and bowled Rodrigues.
Two wickets in four balls. India went from 133/2 to 137/4.
Richa Ghosh departed soon after. A reverse sweep went straight to Issy Wong running backward. Bharti Fulmali followed, bowled by a slower ball . In 16 balls, India lost 4 wickets for just 15 runs. The scoreboard read 148/6.
Deepti Sharma to the rescue. She smashed 22 off just 13 balls with 4 boundaries. Arundhati Reddy supported with 9 not out. The pair added 39 runs for the seventh wicket.
India finished at 188/7. A fighting total. But less than what seemed possible at the 10-over mark.
England's Bowling: Bell Shines, Others Struggle
Lauren Bell was England's standout performer. Her first over produced two wickets. She finished with 3/34 from 4 overs.
Bell's opening over highlights:
-
Bowled Mandhana first ball
-
Dismissed Shafali Verma last ball
-
Changed the game twice in six deliveries
Charlie Dean picked 1/26 from 4 overs and also executed the run-out . Issy Wong, Tilly Corteen-Coleman, and Sophie Ecclestone took one wicket each.
But England's bowling after the powerplay lacked control. The middle overs went for runs. Rodrigues and Yastika found gaps easily. The 126-run stand happened because England could not build pressure.
England's Chase: Another Shaky Start
Chasing 189, England needed a flying start. They got the opposite.
Kranti Gaud struck twice inside the first four overs.
Sophia Dunkley tried to hit big. Mistimed. Caught by Shafali Verma at mid-off. Gone for 16.
Alice Capsey followed soon after. She saw a short ball outside off. Went for the cut. Only managed an edge. Richa Ghosh took the catch. Capsey out for 6.
England 37/2. The required rate started climbing.
The Jones-Knight Partnership That Gave Hope
Heather Knight joined Amy Jones. The two senior batters started rebuilding.
They added 64 runs for the third wicket . Knight played the anchor role. Jones attacked when possible. The score moved to 101/3 in the 14th over.
Then the chase fell apart.
Shree Charani dismissed Knight for 21. She advanced down the track. Hit straight to Rodrigues on the midwicket boundary.
Amy Jones kept fighting. She scored 67 runs off 48 balls. Nine fours. No sixes. A classy innings under pressure. But she ran out of partners.
When Nandani Sharma dismissed Jones in the 16th over, England still needed 69 runs from 25 balls. Impossible.
Nandani Sharma: Debut to Remember
Here is the story of the match. An uncapped pacer. A hat-trick in the WPL earlier this year. And now, a dream international debut.
Nandani Sharma's spans: 4 overs, 3 wickets, 34 runs
Her victims:
-
Amy Jones (caught by Shafali Verma at deep midwicket)
-
Dani Gibson (caught by Shafali Verma again, next ball)
-
Issy Wong (bowled, off stump disturbed)
She became only the second Indian pacer to take a 3-wicket haul on women's T20I debut. The first was Soniya Dabir back in 2010.
Her slower balls troubled the English batters all night. Wong did not read the dip. Gibson could not clear the boundary. Jones struck it well but needed 10 more yards.
For a debutant to perform like this, against England in England, with a World Cup around the corner? Special.
Key Match Statistics
India batting:
| Batter |
Runs |
Balls |
4s |
6s |
SR |
| Jemimah Rodrigues |
69 |
40 |
10 |
1 |
172.50 |
| Yastika Bhatia |
54 |
40 |
9 |
1 |
135.00 |
| Deepti Sharma |
22 |
13 |
4 |
0 |
169.23 |
India bowling:
| Bowler |
Overs |
Runs |
Wickets |
| Nandani Sharma |
4 |
34 |
3 |
| Kranti Gaud |
4 |
24 |
2 |
| Shree Charani |
4 |
25 |
1 |
England batting:
| Batter |
Runs |
Balls |
4s |
6s |
| Amy Jones |
67 |
48 |
9 |
0 |
| Heather Knight |
21 |
24 |
2 |
0 |
| Sophia Dunkley |
16 |
10 |
2 |
1 |
England bowling:
| Bowler |
Overs |
Runs |
Wickets |
| Lauren Bell |
4 |
34 |
3 |
| Charlie Dean |
4 |
26 |
1 |
What This Win Means For India?
This victory carries extra weight. Three reasons why.
First, the South Africa wounds are healing. India lost 4-1 last month. The batting collapsed repeatedly. Death bowling was a mess. Here, they recovered from 7/2 to post 188. The bowlers defended it comfortably. Signs of progress.
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Second, the debutant delivered. Nandani Sharma was a gamble. Uncapped. Young. Playing her first international match. She took 3 wickets. India's pace attack looks deeper now.
Third, the T20 World Cup is close. The tournament starts June 12 in England. Winning the same conditions matters. India just beat the hosts. That is a statement.
Concerns For India
Not everything was perfect.
The top-order collapse. Mandhana and Shafali both out inside the first over. That cannot happen again. Especially against stronger bowling attacks like Australia or South Africa.
The middle-order stumble. From 133/2 to 148/6. Four wickets for 15 runs. The batting depth looked shaky. Harmanpreet Kaur was rested for this match. Her return will help. But the others need more consistency.
Death bowling against Jones. Amy Jones scored freely in the middle overs. India struggled to contain her. Nandani eventually got her wicket. But the overs before that cost runs.
What England Need To Fix?
England have work to do before the World Cup.
Opening partnership: Dunkley (16) and Capsey (6) both failed. A new opening pair takes time to settle. But England have only two matches left before the World Cup.
Middle-order finishing: After Jones fell at 120/4, England added only 30 runs for the last 4 wickets . Kemp (8), Gibson (0), Wong (4). Not enough.
Captaincy: Charlie Dean captained in the absence of Nat Sciver-Brunt (injured) . She led well in patches. But the bowling changes during the Rodrigues-Yastika partnership could have been sharper.
Live Streaming and Telecast Details
For those asking about India women vs England women live streaming, here is your complete guide:
| Region |
Platform |
| India (TV) |
Star Sports Ten Network, DD Sports |
| India (Streaming) |
SonyLIV app and website |
| UK |
Not specified (check local listings) |
| Australia |
Not specified |
| USA & Canada |
Willow TV |
| Africa |
SuperSport |
| Middle East |
Cricbuzz |
| Rest of World |
ICC TV |
Match times:
What's Next In The Series?
India women vs England women live action continues with two more T20Is.
| Match |
Date |
Venue |
Time (IST) |
| 2nd T20I |
May 30, 2026 |
County Ground, Bristol |
7:00 PM |
| 3rd T20I |
June 2, 2026 |
Cooper Associates Ground, Taunton |
11:00 PM |
Both matches will be available on SonyLIV and Star Sports Ten Network.
The second T20I starts earlier at 7:00 PM IST. A better time for Indian viewers. Expect Harmanpreet Kaur to return to the playing XI after being rested for the opener.
Final Takeaways
This match had everything a T20 fan could want. Early drama. A record partnership. A dream debut. And a result that keeps the series alive.
India women vs England women t20 scorecard will show a 38-run win for the visitors. But the real story is the fight. India lost two wickets for 7 runs. They could have folded. Instead, Rodrigues and Yastika built a match-winning stand.
Nandani Sharma announced herself on the international stage. Three wickets on debut. Against England. In England. With the World Cup just weeks away. That is the stuff of fairy tales.
England have problems to solve. The opening pair. The middle-order finishing. The death bowling. Two matches remain to find answers before the World Cup starts on June 12 .
For Indian fans, this was the perfect start to the tour. For neutral viewers, the series is alive. Game two in Bristol on Saturday. Do not miss it.
