India Women lose momentum before T20 WC, lose three-match series:Harmanpreet’s fifty in vain; ENG win with Capsey, Knight’s 137-run stand

England Women produced a clinical batting display to chase down a challenging target of 181 and defeat India Women by six wickets in the third and final T20I at Taunton on Tuesday, sealing the three-match series 2-1. After being put in to bat, India posted a competitive 180/5 in their allotted 20 overs, riding on captain Harmanpreet Kaur’s composed unbeaten half-century and valuable contributions from the middle order. Harmanpreet anchored the innings with 56, while Deepti Sharma added 32 and Jemimah Rodrigues chipped in with a brisk 29. However, England restricted the flow of runs after Jemimah’s dismissal, due to which India fell short of runs in the death overs. Harmanpreet scores fifty but fails to accumulate crucial death over runs India managed to post 180 on the board despite losing their openers, Shafali Verma (11), and Smriti Mandhana (8), cheaply. Yastika Bhatia’s quickfire 32 kept Women in Blue alive in the powerplay. However, her blitz came to an end after an unfortunate runout. Jemimah Rodrigues and Harmanpreet Kaur appeared to be rebuilding the innings, but Lauren Bell ended the 40-run partnership with a dipping slower ball. Deepti Sharma then stitched a 67-run stand with Harmanpreet, but England continued to mount pressure by restricting runs. Result? India Women team could only score 48 runs in the last five overs, which seemingly cost them the game. For the hosts, pacer Lauren Bell scalped two wickets (2/36). Captain Charlotte Dean (1/33) and Linsey Smith (1/40) grabbed one wicket each. Capsey-Knight century stand ruins Kranti Gaud’s early strikes England suffered an early setback as India reduced them to 38/3. However, the game turned dramatically through a match-winning partnership between Alice Capsey and Heather Knight. Capsey took the attack to the Indian bowlers from the outset, counterattacking with a blistering 82. Knight first acted as an anchor before accelerating to complete her half-century. The duo combined for a crucial stand of 137 that not only steadied the innings but also kept the required run rate in check. Their aggressive approach against both pace and spin left India searching for answers as England gradually tightened its grip on the chase. England then comfortably completed the chase in 18.3 overs, winning the game by 6 wickets. Heather Knight remained unbeaten on 70 as the hosts clinched the three-match T20I series.