India women vs England: Amanjot’s heroics, Women in Blue’s new spin twins and other takeaways from T20Is

The India women’s cricket team returned to action for the first time since winning gold in the Asian Games, facing England in a three-match T20I series at home which would be followed by a one-off Test.

Things didn’t quite go as per plan for the Women in Blue in the 20-over fixtures against the former T20 world champions. The hosts ended up getting exposed on a number of fronts in the first two games, which they lost by 38 runs and four wickets respectively.

They did, however, fight back in the third match that was effectively reduced to a dead rubber, where it was primarily the youngsters who rose to the occasion and played important roles in a consolation five-wicket victory.

England, too, had not played a game in any format for nearly three months, having last hosted Sri Lanka towards the end of their home season. But they didn’t look nearly as rusty in the series as the Indians did.

The three T20Is against England, followed by as many matches in the shortest format against defending champions Australia, will be crucial for the Harmanpreet Kaur-led side in getting their plans in order for next year’s T20 World Cup that is still some time away.

With the England T20I series coming to an end, we take a look at some of the key takeaways for the two sides:

Amanjot proves herself as a finisher

Amanjot Kaur has been having an impressive run since she made her debut against South Africa in January ahead of the T20 World Cup. On Sunday, Amanjot not only grabbed the last two wickets of the England innings, dismissing skipper Heather Knight and Mahika Gaur on successive deliveries, she also showcased her ability to stay calm under pressure and finish the job for her side by smacking three boundaries off leading spinner Sophie Ecclestone.

Amanjot Kaur hits the winning runs 👏#TeamIndia win the 3rd and last T20I by 5 wickets 🥳

England win the series 2-1

Scorecard ▶️ https://t.co/k4PSsXN2T6 #INDvENG | @IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/yNlXmiKGu7

— BCCI Women (@BCCIWomen) December 10, 2023

She arrived at a time when India were starting to feel the heat a little, and instantly eased some of the pressure with a boundary off her first delivery. She would then finish the job with back-to-back fours off the last two deliveries of the 19th over, the winning boundary coming off a reverse sweep. Unearthing a calm-headed finisher is a major positive for the Women in Blue from the T20I series.

Shreyanka and Saika India’s latest spin twins

Another major takeaway for the Women in Blue from the T20I series is unearthing spin twins in Shreyanka Patil and Saika Ishaque, who shared three wickets each and helped restrict England to 76/8 at one point before skipper Heather Knight’s fighting half-century helped them cross 100. Pacer Renuka Singh had been in good nick with the ball in the opening game as well, but had little support from the other bowlers as England ended up posting 197 on the board.

India spin-bowling all-rounder Shreyanka Patil celebrates after dismissing England’s Charlie Dean during the third T20I in Mumbai. Sportzpics

This time, the spinners carried on from where Renuka left off after striking twice in the powerplay. Patil finished the pick of the bowlers with 3/19 that, along with two catches, helped her bag the Player of the Match award while Ishaque (3/22) grabbed the crucial wicket of Amy Jones that snapped a 41-run fourth-wicket partnership and triggered a batting collapse that would see the visitors lose five wickets for just nine runs.

With next year’s T20 World Cup set to take place in Bangladesh where conditions are not too dissimilar to that of India, Patil and Ishaque could end up becoming vital cogs in the wheel for Harman and Co.

Lack of solid starts

Each member of the Indian top three managed to get a big score during the course of the T20I series. Shafali Varma scored a 42-ball 52 in the opening game that briefly gave India hope of pulling off a successful chase. Fellow opener Smriti Mandhana set the tone with a run-a-ball 48 in the dead rubber that put the Women in Blue in a comfortable position during the chase. And No 3 Jemimah Rodrigues scored 30 and 29 in the second and third T20Is, hers being the lone bright spot in the second game and stitching a crucial second-wicket stand with Mandhana in the third.

India’s opening partnerships during the series, however, read 20, 0 and 11. And that is one area that they will have to work on as they face tougher challenges ahead. Lack of solid starts was a major factor behind their back-to-back defeats last week, putting the rest of the batting order under pressure. Had it not been for the 47-run stand between Mandhana and Rodrigues on Sunday, India might very well have ended up suffering a 0-3 whitewash.

Renuka solidifies herself as pace spearhead

It was also a bit of a one-woman show as far as India’s pace department was concerned for the most part in the T20I series, right up until Amanjot collected two wickets in as many deliveries towards the end of the England innings in the third T20I. Renuka was superb in the series opener, collecting three wickets for 27 runs from her quota of four overs, striking twice in the first over. Lack of support from the rest of the attack, however, meant England could see her off and still put up a total close to the 200-mark.

Renuka Singh’s love for 1st over wickets ☝️ in the #IDFCFirstBankT20ITrophy continues… 💙

Catch the action from the 3rd #INDvENG WT20I LIVE on #JioCinema & #Sports18 👈#RivalsinBlue #JioCinemaSports pic.twitter.com/LrOYihnQIV

— JioCinema (@JioCinema) December 10, 2023

The Himachal Pradesh native would collecting wickets in the powerplay in the subsequent games. She struck twice in the third over during India’s defence of a sub-par total of 80, giving India a glimmer of hope of pulling off an improbable victory. She would then remove Maia Bouchier for a duck on Sunday in the third delivery of the innings and dismiss her opening partner Sophia Dunkley in her following over.

She would finish the pick of India’s bowlers with seven wickets, the same as England spinner Sophie Ecclestone though the latter would finish top of the wicket-taking chart with a slightly better average.

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