India Women Vs England Women Highlights, 1st T20I 2026: Women In Blue Kickstart Series With 38-Run Victory

Hello and welcome to the live coverage of the IND-W vs ENG-W first T20I match at the County Ground in Chelmsford on May 28, Thursday. Stay tuned to get live score updates, commentary, toss updates and playing XI info.

Match: India Women vs England Women first T20I

Tournament: India Women's Tour of England 2026

Venue: Ambassador Cruise Line Ground (County Ground), Chelmsford

Time: 11:00 PM IST (6:30 PM BST)

England Women: Sophia Dunkley, Alice Capsey, Maia Bouchier, Heather Knight, Freya Kemp, Amy Jones(w), Danielle Gibson, Charlotte Dean(c), Sophie Ecclestone, Issy Wong, Linsey Smith, Danni Wyatt-Hodge, Lauren Bell, Lauren Filer, Tilly Corteen-Coleman

India Women: Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet Kaur(c), Richa Ghosh(w), Deepti Sharma, Shreyanka Patil, Arundhati Reddy, Renuka Singh Thakur, Kranti Gaud, Shree Charani, Radha Yadav, Yastika Bhatia, Bharti Fulmali, Nandni Sharma

The Indian women’s cricket team is currently in England for a three-match T20I series that serves as a vital final dress rehearsal before the 2026 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup. Following a challenging 4-1 series defeat in South Africa earlier this year, the tour provides a crucial platform for Harmanpreet Kaur’s side to rediscover their consistency, refine team combinations, and adapt to English conditions, which are typically more conducive to seam bowling than those in India.

Adaptation is a key theme for this tour, as the visitors look to sharpen their pace attack. The team management is expected to utilize the series to test the discipline of bowlers like Renuka Singh Thakur, Kranti Goud, and Arundhati Reddy, while also integrating rookie pacer Nandini Sharma. Furthermore, the squad has been bolstered by the return of experienced campaigners Yastika Bhatia and Radha Yadav. Bhatia’s return provides stability behind the stumps after her recovery from an ACL injury, and Yadav adds necessary depth to a spin-heavy department that also features Deepti Sharma and Shreyanka Patil.

The team has already shown positive signs of adjustment during a recent tour match against an ECB Development Women's XI, which India won by 7 wickets. This victory allowed top-order batters like Shafali Verma to find their rhythm and offered the bowlers a chance to test their lines. With the T20 World Cup beginning on June 14, this series against England is being treated as the ultimate testing ground to finalize strategies and build the psychological momentum needed for a strong campaign on the global stage.

England Women have won the toss and have opted to field

India Women: Smriti Mandhana(c), Shafali Verma, Yastika Bhatia, Jemimah Rodrigues, Bharti Fulmali, Richa Ghosh(w), Deepti Sharma, Arundhati Reddy, Kranti Gaud, Nandni Sharma, Shree Charani

England Women: Sophia Dunkley, Alice Capsey, Amy Jones(w), Heather Knight, Freya Kemp, Danielle Gibson, Charlotte Dean(c), Issy Wong, Sophie Ecclestone, Lauren Bell, Tilly Corteen-Coleman

A disaster start from India as they lose two wickets in one over. Smriti Mandha, their mainstay, departs in the first ball of the match against Lauren Bell. She went for a drive on the up, but the ball holds and it goes straight to the hands of the extra cover fielder. The last ball of the over was on the leg side and he miscues the ball to the hands of the mid-on fielder. India are in trouble and they will have to overcome this challenge.

Despite the double blow in the first over, India have made a comeback and posted a strong total on the board in the powerplay. Yastika Bhatia, who is making a comeback, raced on to 40 runs in just 17 deliveries and her high-intent batting as set the platform for a big total. Issy Wong's poor control with the ball didn't help the hosts and using it, Jemimah and Bhatia have put up a daunting partnership. England will want to break it soon.

India Women were off to a great start in the powerplay but they could gather only 27 runs off the last 24 balls. Led by captain Charlie Dean, England have pulled things back nicely and are looking to make the set duo go for the risky shots and lose their wickets. Bhatia has slowed down drastically after powerplay while Jemimah has anchored the innings so far. India will look to change gears anytime soon. Meanwhile, Bhatia reaches her half-century.

India lose their two set batters in the same over and their run-scoring takes a hit. It is Charloe Dean who strikes again, removing Jemimah while Yastika was run out in the same over. Bhatia looked tired as he tried to steal a run after inside edging a big shot towards backwards point. Meanwhile, Jemimah tries to hit Dean down the ground and the bowler grabs a sharp catch. Richa and Deepti out on the crease.

India keep crumbling towards the end overs. Richa Ghosh and Bharti Fulmali were expected to provide India with a power packed finish but them failed to live up to the expectations. Debutant Tilly Corteen-Coleman was the one to strike first. Richa went for the reverse sweep, didn't get the connection and Issy Wong ran back to take a brilliant catch on the move. Meanwhile, Fulmali gets beaten by Wong's slower and her furniture gets wrecked. India will look to salvage something in the last two overs.

Deepti Sharma plays an impactful cameo of 22 in 13 balls and pushes India to a competitive total despite getting dismissed on the penultimate ball.

After a disastrous start that saw India lose openers Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma to Lauren Bell in the very first over, England failed to maintain their grip on the match. A sloppy bowling display, highlighted by Issy Wong’s expensive 27-run first over, allowed India to seize the initiative and turn the tide completely. Yastika Bhatia, marking her return to international cricket with a fluent fifty, combined with Jemimah Rodrigues for a massive 126-run partnership that shifted all the momentum back to the visitors. While Yastika’s intensity tapered off in the latter half of her innings, Rodrigues continued her onslaught, dispatching the English bowlers to finish with a blistering 69 off 40 balls. England’s inability to stifle this recovery has left them chasing the game after an otherwise promising opening spell

Sophia Dunkley was looking dangerous as she gave England a very fast start in the first over. But she could not continue the aggression as Kranti Gaud removes her. Back of length delivery on the off-side, Dunkley tries to slice it on the on-side, but mid-off runs to her right to complete the catch. Crucial strike for India as Dunkley was looking dangerous.

England have been off to a slow start and them losing two wickets have not helped them at all. Amy Jones has been the one who has kept the innings together. Heather Knight, using her experience, is anchoring the innings with her. England scored 43/2 in the powerplay and both the wickets were taken by Kranti Gaud. The second wicket had a bit of luck in it and it was short and wide and Alice Capsey slashed at it. Only got a nick and the wicketkeeper took a very good catch.

Despite being off to a slow start, Amy Jones' pyro techniques have made sure England are in a strong place after the first half of the chase. She took two big overs from Nandni Sharma and Deepti Sharma to race off to 48 in just 30 balls. Knight on the other hand have kept things stable and prevented any collapse. England still need more than 100 runs off the last ten overs and they will have to keep their foot on the accelerator from here on.

Heather Knight starter her innings slow to anchor the innings initially after the loss of early wickets, but she eventually got stuck and couldn't find the required acceleration to change gears. Finally she lost her calm, charged down, heaved it big and Jemi in the deep takes it easily. Knight's innings has kept England in trouble. Meanwhile, Jones has also completed her half-century. She will need an explosive supporting hand to win the game.

India are on top in the game as Nandni Sharma scalps two wickets in one consecutive deliveries. She first removed the well-set Amy Jones and then Dani Gibson for a duck. Jones slogged it across the line and found Shafali in the deep. Meanwhile, Nandni bowled a slower next ball and Gibson miscued it after not picking up while going for a slog. Caught in the deep and India are elated here as England need to climb a foundation in four overs.

India secured a clinical 38-run victory in the series opener, successfully defending their total of 188 with disciplined bowling and sharp fielding. Despite an early scare that saw them lose two wickets in the first over, India’s innings was bolstered by a match-defining partnership between Yastika Bhatia and Jemimah Rodrigues, even in the absence of captain Harmanpreet Kaur.

England’s chase faltered from the outset, as Indian seamers exploited the new ball to strike early, with Gaud claiming two crucial wickets. While Amy Jones fought a lone battle with a well-crafted fifty, she lacked support from the rest of the lineup. A particularly lackluster display from Heather Knight typified England’s struggle, as India tightened the screws following the 10-over mark. By maintaining control during the middle overs and suffocating the English batters, India remained comfortably ahead of the required rate throughout, ultimately leaving the hosts well short of the target. This dominant performance gives India a commanding 1-0 lead in the series.