Image Credit- BCCI
India defeated England in the third and final Twenty20
International at the Wankhede Stadium thanks to a better batting effort and
their new spin duo of Shreyanka Patil and Saika Ishaque.
Renuka Singh’s return to form with the ball and
Shafali Verma’s second collapse in as many games after her half-century in the
series opener helped India stage a crucial batting partnership with Smriti
Mandhana and Jemimah Rodrigues adding 57 to help chase down a modest target
were the catalysts for the things that had gone wrong as they fell behind 2-0
in the series. Captain Harmanpreet Kaur, who came in at No. 5 after appearing
to twist her foot while fielding, delayed her entry. However, she managed the rest
of the chase with Amanjot Kaur to secure the victory with one over remaining.
The visitors lost five wickets for nine runs in the
space of 21 balls, tumbling from 67 for 3 to 76 for 8, before Heather Knight’s
half-century rescued something from the innings. Patil and Ishaque built on
Renuka’s strong early actions to rip through England’s middle order.
As most of her
countrywomen were sweeping or cutting, Knight, England’s captain, offered her
side’s only opposition by striking the ground. The last over of the innings saw
Knight reach fifty after hitting two sixes over long-on in three Amanjot
deliveries. Mahika Gaur then gave Amanjot two wickets in as many balls when she
was caught by Deepti Sharma at cover point, leaving England all out for 126.
In an attempt to exert pressure on India with 11 runs
remaining in the last two overs, Sophie Ecclestone bowled Richa Ghosh. However,
Amanjot, who had come in for Pooja Vastrakar, eased the tension by piercing the
covers for four the next ball. Another four brought the score level before her
reverse sweep took her to 13 not out in just four balls, leading India to
victory.