Alice Capsey And Heather Knight Star As England Beat India By 6 Wickets In 3rd WT20I To Clinch Series

Alice Capsey’s blazing 82 and Heather Knight’s composed, unbeaten 70 powered England to a series-clinching six-wicket victory over India in the third and final Women’s T20I.

England sealed the series 2-1, leaving India with plenty to reflect on ahead of the Women’s T20 World Cup, where Harmanpreet Kaur and her team will face Pakistan in their tournament opener in Birmingham on June 14.

England Beat India – As It Happened

Chasing 181, England reached 184 for four in 18.3 overs. It was their second-highest successful run chase in T20Is, anchored by a 137-run stand from just 76 balls for the fourth wicket between Capsey and Knight.

However, the start of the chase was turbulent as England lost openers Sophia Dunkley, Danni Wyatt-Hodge and Amy Jones inside the Power Play, stumbling to

38 for three.

Pacer Kranti Goud, recalled to the side, inflicted the early damage by dismissing Hodge and Jones. Hodge’s dismissal came from a superb delivery that nipped back to rattle her stumps.

England then found stability through Capsey and Knight. Capsey struck nine fours and three sixes in her 43-ball innings, while Knight’s 42-ball knock featured 10 fours, as they neutralised the Indian bowlers.

Both Capsey and Knight needed a confidence boost after recent failures, and they delivered when it mattered most.

The duo relied on exquisite timing and placement to counter both pace and spin. Capsey raced to her fifty off 27 balls, while Knight was slightly more measured, reaching her fifty in 31 balls.

After reaching her half-century, Capsey shifted gears, punishing left-arm spinner Sree Charani with a sequence of 4, 6, 6.

Knight, meanwhile, showcased her innovation with reverse sweeps and upper cuts.

Capsey eventually fell to pacer Arundhati Reddy, but by then England required only six runs to win with plenty of deliveries remaining.

Earlier, skipper Harmanpreet Kaur overcame a sluggish start to score a 40-ball 56, receiving strong support from the experienced Deepti Sharma (32 off 24 balls) as India reached 180 for five.

The fifth-wicket pair added a valuable 67 runs to bolster India’s total.

Although Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana departed early, India still finished the Power Play on a strong 57 for two, thanks to the aggressive batting of Yastika Bhatia (32 off 18 balls) and Jemimah Rodrigues (29 off 19 balls).

Harmanpreet found her rhythm after her slow start, hammering Lauren Bell for a couple of fours to lift the scoring rate.

She reached her fifty in the 20th over off 38 balls, her 17th T20I half-century and her first against England.

Her effort helped India post a competitive total, but it ultimately proved insufficient against the home side.

(With inputs from Agencies)