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England have now failed to bat 15.3 overs across the two games in this series. They have also been bowled out in each of their last four games and lost three of them.

India lost Jemimah Rodrigues in the 11^th ball of their chase, but Smriti Mandhana struck a breezy half-century and strung together partnerships of 73 with Poonam Raut and 66 with Mithali Raj, the captain, to shut the door on England.

Smriti Mandhana starred with a 74-ball 63 for India. – Photo: AFP

As in the first game, England’s decision at the toss backfired. Much of their early trouble was avoidable. Amy Jones fed an in-swinger from Pandey straight into the hands of square leg. Sarah Taylor drove away from her body and dragged the ball onto the stumps. And Heather Knight, the England captain, checked her drive against Goswami, chipping a catch to cover. Inside seven overs, the backbone of England’s batting had been crushed.

More lapses followed. At 44/3, Tammy Beaumont miscued a slog, leaving Deepti Sharma to run back from square leg and dive full-stretch in front of the boundary to snaffle it.

Natalie Sciver was left with the unenviable task of bringing some respectability into the England innings and she did a fine job of it. It began in the company of Lauren Winfield with a 49-run fifth-wicket stand – the highest of the innings. Winfield dragged a sweep straight to deep mid-wicket, giving Poonam Yadav her first wicket.

That opened the gates once again as England lost three wickets for two runs. Sciver, on 31 then, took charge, single-handedly building England’s total. Fifty-four of the next 66 runs her team scored came off Sciver’s bat. That included a 42-run last-wicket stand with Alex Hartley, who didn’t score a run. Sciver’s valiant effort was ended when she got down for a paddle sweep against Goswami and missed to be trapped in front of middle.

Pandey finished with incredible figures of 4/18 in 10 overs, while Goswami sent down 8.3 overs for 4/30.

India’s chase began with a wicket maiden and the dismissal of Rodrigues for a 10-ball duck. Mandhana though wheeled away with a series of boundaries as India ended the Powerplay on 46/1.

Poonam Raut moved at a sedate pace for her 32, which took 65 balls, before she overbalanced against Georgia Elwiss to be stumped. Raj kept India on course with a boundary-heavy 47*. She lost Mandhana 22 runs away from the target, but India were well on course by then.