India’s women’s cricket team secured a historic series victory over England with a composed six-wicket win in the fourth T20I at Old Trafford on Wednesday, taking an unassailable 3-1 lead in the five-match series.
The result marked India’s first-ever bilateral T20I series win over England, and their maiden multi-match series triumph on English soil, having previously fallen short in all six of their past away series against the hosts.
Opting to bat first after winning the toss, England started positively through openers Danni Wyatt-Hodge and Sophia Dunkley. However, the early momentum was disrupted when Shree Charani removed Wyatt-Hodge in the third over with the score on 21.
Dunkley played fluently for her 22 off 19 balls, but her dismissal to Deepti Sharma at the end of the powerplay left England at 38 for 2. Captain Tammy Beaumont and Alice Capsey looked to stabilise the innings with a 35-run stand, lifting the hosts to 68 for 2 at the halfway stage.
India’s bowlers, however, wrestled back control in the second half of the innings. Radha Yadav delivered a disciplined spell of 2 for 15 from her four overs, applying the brakes through the middle. Charani also impressed with 2 for 30, as England managed just 42 runs while losing five wickets in the final nine overs. A late burst of 16 runs in the final over from Issy Wong and Sophie Ecclestone pushed England to a modest 126 for 7.
India’s reply was assertive from the outset. Openers Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana made the most of the powerplay, racing to 56 in under five overs. Verma fell for 31 in the seventh over, and Mandhana followed shortly after for 28.
Jemimah Rodrigues and captain Harmanpreet Kaur then added a composed 48-run partnership, bringing India to the brink of victory. Though Kaur was dismissed with just 10 needed, Rodrigues remained unbeaten to see her side home with three overs to spare.
The series began with a dominant 97-run victory for India at Trent Bridge – their largest T20I win over England – followed by a 24-run triumph in Bristol. England pulled one back with a narrow five-run win in the third T20I at The Oval, but India responded emphatically in Manchester to seal the series.
The fifth and final T20I will be played at Edgbaston in Birmingham on Saturday. Both sides will then shift focus to a three-match ODI series beginning on 16 July.
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