England Women took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the ODI series by winning the second match, in Taunton, by 5 wickets. India Women delivered an improved performance after the rout at Bristol, but England took the game away as several key players contributed at key moments
England again won the toss and sent India in. While England went with an unchanged XI, India brought in Jemimah Rodrigues, Sneh Rana, and Poonam Yadav. The Indian openers, Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana, put up 56 for the first wicket before Kate Cross dismissed Smriti Mandhana.
Verma looked all set for her maiden ODI fifty when she was beaten in the air by Sophie Ecclestone (3-33) and was stumped for 44. Mithali Raj got 59, her 57th ODI fifty, her second fifty of the series, and the highest score of the innings. However, yet again she again failed to push the scorecard and finished with a strike rate below 65. Raj and her deputy Harmanpreet Kaur added 68 for the fourth wicket as Kaur contributed 19.
Regular wickets from Cross and Ecclestone ensured that India did not have too many big partnerships. India were reduced to 192/9, when Jhulan Goswami and Poonam Yadav added 29 to take India to 221. Yadav was dismissed off the last ball of the innings, while Goswami remained unbeaten on 19.
Cross eventually finished with 5-34, her second five-wicket haul. This was also the first five-wicket haul for her side since Anya Shrubsole’s spell in the 2017 World Cup final.
Goswami led the way as India set out to defend 222. She bowled Tammy Beaumont for 10 with a peach in the fifth over. Wickets fell at regular intervals as only Lauren Winfield-Hill (42) made a significant contribution from the top order.
Winfield-Hill was caught brilliantly by Taniya Bhatia off Shikha Pandey. This was the first of Bhatia’s two brilliant catches: she also caught Nat Sciver off Sneh Rana. Yadav picked up two wickets, and at 133/5, India Women seemed to have an upper hand in the game.
At that stage, England required 89 runs in 21.1 overs. Sophia Dunkley, who made her debut during the first ODI, was joined by Katherine Brunt. Dunkley had showed her batting prowess during her debut Test; she continued with that form.
Kaur, standing in for the injured Raj, tried her best but failed to break the partnership, but Dunkley and Brunt got the required runs with 15 balls to spare. Dunkley remained unbeaten on 73 and Brunt was not out on 33. Kate Cross was named Player of the Match.
Teams will now move to New Road for the third ODI of the series. England Women now have a 6-2 lead in the multi-format point system for this series.
Brief scores
India Women 221 in 50 overs (Mithali Raj 59; Kate Cross 5-34) lost to England Women 225/5 in 47.3 overs (Sophia Dunkley 73*; Poonam Yadav 2-63) by 5 wickets with 15 balls to spare. Player of the Match: Kate Cross.