New Delhi: Richa Ghosh’s half-century went in vain as the Indian women’s team suffered a close 5-run defeat against England in their second warm-up match
ahead of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026. England rode on half-centuries from opener Amy Jones and skipper Nat Sciver-Brunt to post a fighting total of 171 runs on the board before the bowlers helped them defend it successfully.
The game went down to the wire, with India still in it till the final over. However, spinner Linsey Smith dismissed a well-set Richa Ghosh on 68 before removing tail-ender Renuka Singh Thakur on the next delivery to help England bundle out India for 166 runs in 19.5 overs and secure a thrilling 5-run victory.
Richa waged a lone battle for the Women in Blue with her brilliant knock under pressure. She took control of the run chase after India’s woeful start and kept the visitors in the hunt till the very end. India got off to a disastrous start in the run chase, losing their top three inside 48 runs.
Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur was dismissed cheaply on 17 off 18 balls, while middle-order batter Bharti Fulmali also failed to make an impact, managing only 18 runs off 17 deliveries. Richa combined with Radha Yadav (16 off 9 balls) to share a 33-run stand for the sixth wicket, but failed to find support from the tail-enders.
With 17 to get off the last over, Richa smashed a four and a six against Smith to bring the equation down to six off three balls before getting stumped by Jones. Her dismissal sealed India’s fate as England made a late comeback to clinch a 5-run victory.
With two wickets on two balls in the final over, Linsey finished with figures of 3/42 for England. Danielle Gibson, Charlotte Dean and Tilly Corteen-Coleman managed two wickets apiece to help the hosts put on a strong show with the ball and defend the target of 171 runs successfully to win the game.
