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The Indian women's team registered its first win of the three-game T20I series by beating England by five wickets in the third and final fixture. Despite the win, the Three Lionesses clinched the series after convincingly winning the first two T20Is. Coming back-to-back third game, the English team opted to bat first but got off to a shaky start.
Maia Bouchier got out on a golden duck while her opening partner Sophia Dunkley perished after scoring 11 runs. The troubles continued as Alice Capsey, once again, struggled to get going and was dismissed after posting only seven runs. Captain Heather Knight carried the English innings out of choppy waters as she stitched up a crucial partnership with Amy Jones.
But at the 11.1 over-mark, Jones perished at 25 and triggered another English batting collapse. Though Knight held one end up with some quality stroke play, it was only Charlie Dean, who stepped to support the captain. As Knight was dismissed at 52 in 42 balls, England managed to post 126 in 20 overs.
Like the Three Lionesses, India also had another poor start as Shafali Verma got out quickly after scoring six runs in six balls. Moving forward, the other opener Smriti Mandhana and number three batter Jemimah Rodrigues carried India out of trouble as the duo found runs at a steady rate. After their 57-run stand, Rodrigues departed followed by Deepti Sharma, who played a 12-run cameo.
As the Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur made way, she played the anchor role to maintain stability as the Women in Blue lost two more wickets. As the match neared the end, all-rounder Amanjot Kaur stepped up by playing a crucial 10-run knock in four balls to finish off the game and help India register a six-wicket win.
