ENG-W vs IND-W: Jones, Ecclestone help England draw level series in rain-affected game

India Today

3 days ago

Amy Jones and Sophie Ecclestone were the stars of the show as England defeated India by x wickets to level the series 1-1. Ecclestone picked up three wickets for 27 in her six-over spell to restrict India to 143/8 in 29 overs as the match was affected by rain at the very beginning. Needing 144 runs to win, Jones and Tammy Beaumont set up the chase with their first wicket stand before rain came to play spoilsport once again. advertisementIn the end, the target was revised to 115 from 24 overs, and Sophia Dunkley and Jones ensured that the win was sealed with the former hitting a boundary. India had come into the contest on the back of a sensational win over the hosts in the first ODI where Deepti Sharma starred for them. But both teams were forced to wait indoors as there was heavy rain around the stadium and the covers were firmly on. The fans turned up in good numbers, but everyone had to wait for four hours before the game got underway. ENG-W VS IND-W 2ND ODI HIGHLIGHTS
England won the toss and put India into bat and the decision proved to be a masterstroke. Pratika Rawal, who did face some disciplinary action after her run-ins with English players in the first match, didn't stay for too long and was cleaned up by Em Arlott. Smriti Mandhana, who was India's best batter on the day, looked solid during her knock of 42 off 51 balls but failed to get support from the other end. India batters looked to be in a hurryOnce Harleen Deol came on, she and Mandhana slowly steadied things with a 40-run stand before Ecclestone came to the fore. The left-arm spinner dismissed Harleen and that sort of opened the floodgates for England. Captain Harmanpreet Kaur (7), Jemimah Rodrigues (3) and Richa Ghosh (2), all looked to be in a hurry to up the ante and failed miserably as India got reduced to 72 for five. Mandhana looked to be waging a lone battle and finally got some assistance from Deepti, and the duo added 26 runs. But the wicket of Mandhana pegged back India once again as the onus was on Deepti to perform a rescue act. She got support from Arundhati Reddy and the duo ensured India was setup for a good finish in the end. Deepti's cameo of 30 ensured they got to 143 runs in 29 overs. India's bowling lacks biteThe Indian bowlers and fielding seemed to be lacking some bite on Saturday as they failed to stop the run flow. While the pitch was offering some grip and turn, the Indian spinners were unable to have the same effect as their English counterparts. advertisementThis allowed Beaumont and Jones to get off to a flier in chasing the target down. Beaumont, especially, looked to be in fine touch as she played her shots to counter the Indian attack. The duo added 54 in 62 balls before Sneh Rana brought India back into the contest. However, this momentum was quickly ended by Jones, who scored 46 off 57 balls and got a couple of boundaries in before rain came to have England sweating with 18.2 overs bowled. Time was not the friend of the hosts as rain came pelting down and eight balls needed to be delivered before the game could be considered as complete. Thankfully, for England, the rain relented and they were able to get the job done despite losing captain Nat Sciver-Brunt right after the game restarted. The decided will now be played on Tuesday, July 22 in Durham. - EndsTune InMust Watch