With the help of Jhulan Goswami (30/4) and Shikha Pandey's (18/4) bowling performance, India bundled England out for 161 runs in 43.3 overs. Then, chased down the target with 53 balls to spare.Chasing a paltry total of 162 runs, the hosts got off to a bad start as teenager Jemimah Rodrigues departed for duck.
Left-handed Smriti Mandhana (63) and Punam Raut (32) stitched together a partnership of 73 runs for the second wicket. Georgia Elwiss dismissed Raut in the 19.1 over. However, India did not felt any pressure as skipper Mithali Raj and Mandhana added 66 runs for the third wicket, taking Indian tally to 140 runs. The left-handed Mandhana departed for 63 runs off 74 balls. The southpaw hit seven fours and one six.
Then, Mithali paired with Deepti Sharma to take India home. The skipper played 47 runs knock in which she hit eight fours, while Sharma scored unbeaten 6 runs off 29 balls.With the virtue of this win, India pocketed two points to solidify their second place in the ICC ODI Championship.(UNI)
