Beaumont, bowlers spoil Mandhana's captaincy debut

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Beaumont attacked the Indian bowlers during her 62 off 57 balls, while captain Heather Knight's dazzling 40 off just 20 guided her side to a challenging 160/4 in their 20 overs at the Barsapara Cricket Ground on Monday, 4 March.

With Linsey Smith reducing India to 23/3 by the fourth over, which soon became 46/5 in the 10th, victory seemed inevitable. To their credit, the hosts lost only one more wicket, but could get no further than 119/6.

Shikha Pandey, returning to the T20I side after starring in the 2-1 success in the one-day internationals, kept things tight with the new ball, conceding just four runs in her first two-over spell after England were asked to bat. However, at the other end, the runs flowed. Danielle Wyatt attacked Deepti Sharma, the off-spinner, while Beaumont timed her shots beautifully to take Arundhati Reddy for three fours in an over.

India struck back with two quick wickets: in her final over, Pandey broke the first-wicket stand at 89, with Wyatt not finding the distance on her shot, sending it to Mandhana at extra cover. Nine balls later, Nat Sciver was done in by a tossed-up Poonam Yadav delivery.

Knight and Beaumont, though, wrested back the initiative. Beaumont brought up her half-century with a single off a scoop, while Knight punished Reddy with five consecutive boundaries in the 18th over of the game.

Both set batsmen fell at the death, but it was still a strong total that required India to come out swinging.

Harleen Deol, making her debut, looked good in opening up with a square drive to the boundary, but was taken in by an in-swinging delivery from Katherine Brunt, which she nicked to the wicket-keeper. Beaumont, taking the gloves for the game as Amy Jones was ill, put in a dive to pouch the catch.

Smith, the left-arm spinner, scalped two wickets in two balls, massively denting India's chances. Mandhana was caught at long-on while Jemimah Rodrigues' woes against England continued, nicking one going down leg to the wicket-keeper.

Mithali Raj and the returning Veda Kishnamurthy both fell trying to get the scoreboard ticking, and half of India's line-up was back in the hut. Sharma (22*) added useful stands of 20 with Reddy and an unbroken 43 with Pandey, who top-scored with 23* off 21, but the damage had been done by then.

Smith finished with 2/22 while Brunt had 2/21. The second T20I is at the same venue on Thursday.