Nottingham, Jun 28 (PTI) Stand-in skipper Smriti Mandhana smashed her maiden T20 Worldwide hundred to energy India to a commanding 210 for five in opposition to England within the first match right here on Saturday.
Mandhana (112, 62 balls) was aggression and confidence personified from the phrase go and she or he made up for the struggles of her opening companion Shafali Verma (20, 22 balls). Her knock is the best for India in T20Is, surpassing Harmanpreet Kaur’s 103.
Mandhana, who led the crew within the absence of normal captain Harmanpreet, and Shafali milked 77 runs for the opening wicket off 8.3 overs as India raced off the block.
Shafali’s dismissal didn’t deter Mandhana because the left-hander raised an additional 94 runs for the second wicket with an equally aggressive Harleen Deol (43, 23 balls), who was dropped on 26 by Danny Wyatt-Hodge off off-spinner Alice Capsey.
Mandhana didn’t give any such possibilities to England, and she or he began off with three boundaries off left-arm spinner Linsey Smith within the fourth over, and hardly took her foot off the accelerator.
Later, she additionally punished one other left-arm spinner Sophie Ecclestone for 2 sixes within the seventh over as Indian innings chugged alongside.
On the different finish, Deol relied extra on sweeps to fetch boundaries, utilizing the final lack of route of English bowlers on the day until she fell to Lauren Bell.
Mandhana quickly went previous 87, her earlier finest in T20Is, and touched the three-figure mark for the primary time in her profession that has 31 fifties.
Mandhana, who finally was dismissed by Ecclestone, reached the cherished mark with two successive boundaries off pacer Bell, who was England’s most profitable bowler (3/27).
Bell eliminated Richa Ghosh (12) and Jemimah Rodrigues (0) within the 18th over to convey some momentary aid to the house facet, however India had already reached a place of power by then.
