The semi-final fixture between England and India on Saturday had a lot of dramas but it was the Harmanpreet Kaur-led side that had the last laugh. After posting 164/5 in their allotted 20 overs, the Indian bowling attack, led by Deepti Sharma, restricted a potent England batting unit to 160/6.
India reached the Gold Medal match in the ongoing Commonwealth Games by beating the hosts England by four runs in a hard-fought semi-final at Edgbaston on Saturday. Coming to defend 165, they restricted England to 160/6, thanks to a disciplined bowling performance, led by Deepti Sharma (4-0-18-1). Sneh Rana (2-28) and Radha Yadav (2-0-12-0) did well too while Renuka Singh Thakur, India’s shining star of the tournament, had a rare bad day (3-0-31-0).
England skipper Nat Sciver top-scored with 41 but took 43 balls to reach there. Amy Jones (31 off 24 balls) and Danielle Wyatt (35 off 27 balls) looked threatening, but they too failed to remain till the end to take their side past the finishing line.
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Earlier in the contest, Smriti Mandhana got India off to a blistering start after Harmanpreet Kaur won the toss and opted to bat. Despite receiving little support from Shafali Verma (15 off 17 balls), the opening duo forged a 76-run stand in 47 balls before Freya Kemp dismissed Verma to provide England with a much-required breakthrough.
Mandhana (61 off 32 balls) fell in the next over, bowled by Nat Sciver. Jemimah Rodrigues (44* off 31 balls) and Kaur (20 off 20 balls) then held the fort, and with the support from Deepti Sharma (22 off 20 balls), they finished on 164/5.
For England, Kemp (2-22), Sciver, and Katherine Brunt were among the wicket-takers while Sarah Glenn (4-0-28-0) was their most economical bowler.
India will now wait for their opponents for the Gold Medal clash, where one of Australia or New Zealand will make the cut.
