Having already clinched the five-match T20 International series, the Indian women's cricket team will take the field today, Saturday, in the fifth and final match against England, aiming to conclude the series with another victory.
Sports News: The Indian women's cricket team will face England on Saturday in the final match of the five-match T20 International series, aiming for a 4-1 series win. Led by captain Harmanpreet Kaur, the Indian team has already secured the series with an unassailable 3-1 lead. Now, their objective is to end the tour on a winning note and deliver a mental blow to England before the ODI series.
India's Dominance Across Three Departments
India has comprehensively outplayed England in all three departments – batting, bowling, and fielding – in this T20 series. Specifically, Arundhati Reddy's three brilliant catches on the boundary line and Radha Yadav's excellent bowling helped India win the fourth T20 by 6 wickets. England could only score 126 runs, which the Indian women's team chased down with 6 wickets in hand.
Spin Attack Proves Challenging for England
India's spin bowling has completely dominated England in this series. Led by Deepti Sharma, young spinners like Radha Yadav, N. S. Charni, and Shreyanka Patil have dismantled England's batting lineup. England has lost 22 wickets to spin so far in this series, demonstrating how well India has utilized the conditions.
N. S. Charni, who made her T20 International debut in this series, remains the highest wicket-taker for India. Radha Yadav was awarded the Player of the Match in the previous game.
Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma's Powerful Partnership
In batting, India's strength has been the opening partnership of Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma. Both have put pressure on the English bowlers in every match with their fast and aggressive starts. Mandhana is the highest run-scorer for India in this series. Jemimah Rodrigues has strengthened the team by playing important innings in the middle order. However, captain Harmanpreet Kaur has not yet found her form. She will be looking to regain her rhythm by scoring runs in the final T20 before the ODI series.
England's Weaknesses Exposed
The biggest blow for the England team in this series came in the form of captain Nat Sciver-Brunt's injury, who was ruled out after the second match. Her absence completely disrupted the team's balance. The batting order struggled in her absence. Sophia Dunkley is the only batter who has shown some consistency in the series. Danni Wyatt-Hawk and the rest of the middle order have been weak. In bowling, Lauren Bell has performed well, taking 6 wickets so far, but other bowlers have failed to control the Indian batters.
Squads of Both Teams
India: Harmanpreet Kaur (Captain), Smriti Mandhana (Vice-Captain), Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh (Wicketkeeper), Yastika Bhatia (Wicketkeeper), Harleen Deol, Deepti Sharma, Sneh Rana, N. S. Charni, Shuchi Upadhyay, Amanjot Kaur, Arundhati Reddy, Kranti Gowd, and Sayali Satghare.
England: Tammy Beaumont (Captain), M. Arlott, Lauren Bell, Alice Capsey, Charlie Dean, Sophia Dunkley, Sophie Ecclestone, Lauren Filer, Amy Jones (Wicketkeeper), Peggy Schofield, Linsey Smith, Danni Wyatt-Hawk, Issy Wong, and Maia Bouchier.
