Elegant Smriti Mandhana wins it for India after Jhulan rolls back time in first women’s ODI against England

Opting to bowl, India restricted England to 227 for seven and then chased down the target with consummate ease in 44.2 overs

The graceful Smriti Mandhana once again enhanced her reputation as one of India’s biggest match winners with an attractive 91 that literally decimated England by seven wickets in the opening Women’s ODI cricket, here on Sunday.

Harmanpreet Kaur won a good toss and veteran India pacer Jhulan Goswami was accuracy personified with 42 dot balls in one of of her last international games as England managed a sub-par 227 for seven, largely due to efforts from the lower middle-order.

India were never in trouble during the chase as Mandhana (91 off 99 balls) literally drove and pulled her way before missing out on a deserving sixth WODI hundred by nine runs.

But by the time she was dismissed, Mandhana ensured a 45th over finish for the Women In Blue, who now go 1-0 up in three-match series.

Yastika Bhatia (50 off 47 balls), who hasn’t done justice to her enormous talent, also notched up her third half-century and scored at more than run-a-ball strike-rate.

Yastika-Mandhana second wicket stand of 96 in just 16.1 overs set the foundation and then Harmanpreet (74 not out in 94 balls) eased her way to a another fifty as she added 99 runs with her deputy and then finished it off in style with a slog sweep six.

Mandhana’s innings had 10 fours and a lovely six over long-on off seamer Issy-Wong.