ENG(W) vs IND(W) T20I: India 146 for 2 (Mandhana 79*) beat England 142 for 7 (Kemp 51*, Rana 3-24) by eight wickets

A brilliant unbeaten half-century from Smriti Mandhana saw India to triumph by eight wickets over England with 20 balls to spare in their second of three T20Is to even out the series 1-1.

If this evening was anything to go by, the moist and dreary beginning of autumn has so far been confined to either end of the country. Durham had offered a soggy opening to the series on Saturday as England facilitated a nine-wicket win in conditions that weren’t to India’s preference. Then, London was covered in consistent rain for a good part of Tuesday. The midlands, notwithstanding, were sticking on to summer as England’s innings advanced in a bright evening at Derby’s Incora County Ground.

HIGHLIGHTS

Mandhana all class

Set a below-par target, because of England’s early collapse and a vastly improved performance in the field by India, Mandhana played a key role in bringing it in, facing 53 balls and finding the boundary 13 times.

She put on an opening stand worth 55 with Shafali Verma, who fell for 20 to a sharp return catch by Sophie Ecclestone and a solid partnership of 69 with Harmanpreet Kaur, who ought to have been out on 19 had Danni Wyatt not spilled a clear chance at deep midwicket.

England stagger, India hang on

England began splendidly enough when Sophia Dunkley cut the third ball of the match, from Renuka Singh, for four through midwicket and Wyatt prodded the fifth between backward point and short third. In the following over, however, Dunkley charged at Deepti Sharma’s first ball and was puzzled by Richa Ghosh while Wyatt followed a short time later, edging Renuka to Sneh Rana at first slip.

A mix of phenomenal fielding- an area where India were battered in the opening match – and a blunder by Alice Capsey made it 16 for 3. Capsey had crushed Renuka through the covers and begun returning for a third run, seemingly unaware about Radha Yadav’s splendid effort running round to one side in the deep and rambling at full stretch to stop the ball short of the rope and shoot it smoothly into Harmanpreet inside the ring.

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Kemp shines

Playing her eighth T20I yet batting for just the second time, Kemp came in at No. 7 and continued to revive the England innings with her 37-ball knock. She released three sixes, two times flinging Radha down the ground to bookend her heave over deep midwicket off Renuka. She raised her maiden international fifty with a straight-determined four off the penultimate ball of the innings and finished unbeaten on 51.