A master class from the middle order teacher Jemimah Rodrigues fed the Indian women’s cricket team to a resounding 38-run victory over England Women in the opening match of the T20I series at Chelmsford on May 28, 2026. On a night where India’s outstanding opening duo failed to trouble the scorers early on, a brilliant counter-attacking partnership and clinical defensive bowling ensured the visitors began their tour of England on a resounding note.
Jemimah Rodrigues and Yastika Bhatia lead India to formidable total
Choosing to bat first, India’s innings began in catastrophic fashion. England’s leading fast bowler lauren bell dismantled the visitors’ top order in the first over, returning both captains Smriti Mandhana and the explosive Shafali Verma for 0 and 2 races respectively. With India reeling at 7/2 in the first six balls, the home fans anticipated a routine English collapse.
However, Yastika Bhatia and Rodrigues had other plans. The duo absorbed the initial move before unleashing an all-out attack on the English attack. Bhatia took charge during the Powerplay, making 54 off 40 deliveries, hitting nine boundaries and a six to bring up his half-century in just 31 balls.
Once Bhatia calmed down, Rodrigues accelerated. Awarded Player of the Match, Rodrigues played a majestic and calculated knock of 69 runs off just 40 balls, hitting eight boundaries and clearing the ropes once. Together, Bhatia and Rodrigues formed a crucial partnership of 126 runs for the third wicket, keeping the run-rate at over nine runs once. Late Order Contributions Deepti Sharma (22 off 13) took India to a formidable total of 188/7 in their allotted 20 overs, despite Bell finishing as the pick of the home bowlers with figures of 3/34.
India wins 1-0 in T20I series 👏#ESPvsIND #TeamIndia pic.twitter.com/1nMt80bZHT
— MujeresCricket.com (@MujeresCricketHQ) May 29, 2026
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India’s disciplined bowling stops England in opening match of women’s T20I
Defending 188, the Indian bowling unit put up a clinical display of tight lines and variations, preventing the English batsmen from generating sustained momentum. emerging pacemaker Kranti Gaudi provided the initial breakthrough by attacking early in the Powerplay, ruling out Sofia Dunkley (16) and Alicia Capsey (65) to keep England checkmate at 37/2.
batsman-wicketkeeper Amy Jones He offered the only stiff resistance to England, counter-attacking with a valiant 67 off 48 balls. Together with the former captain heather knight (21), Jones threatened to chart a dangerous path to recovery. However, India’s strangulation proved too strict. Shree Charani he broke the partnership by removing Knight, leading to a batting collapse from which the hosts were never able to recover.
Nandani Sharma he was the destroyer-in-chief in the death overs, turning the game firmly in India’s favour. He cleared the tail efficiently to finish with impressive figures of 3/34 from his four overs. Arundhati Reddy He also played a crucial role, keeping the pressure high with an economical spell of 0/23. England’s chase finally failed at 150/8 as the 20 overs concluded. With this comprehensive 38-run victory, India takes a crucial 1-0 lead in the 3-match T20I series.
This article was first published in WomenCricket.coma Cricket Times company.
