In a thrilling contest, England held their nerve to beat India by four runs and reach the semi-finals of the ICC Women's ODI World Cup 2025 at Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore on Sunday, October 19.
After winning the toss and opting to bat first, former England skipper Heather Knight gave a batting masterclass. Her composed 109 formed the backbone of England's innings and helped them post 288/8 in 50 overs.
In reply, Smriti Mandhana’s elegant 88, along with Harmanpreet Kaur’s amazing 70 and Deepti Sharma’s late fifty, had seemingly set India on course for securing their highest chase in women’s ODIs.
However, England struck at crucial moments, breaking key partnerships and tightening their grip as the required run rate climbed, making the chase increasingly difficult for India, who were eventually restricted to 284/6 in a chase of 289.
Natalie Sciver-Brunt (2/47) was the pick of the bowlers while Linsey Smith, Charlie Dean, Sophie Ecclestone and Lauren Bell chipped in with a wicket each.
With this, England became the third team to qualify for the semi-finals, joining South Africa and Australia. After Sunday's win, England now have nine points from five matches in level with Australia while India remain on four points having played five games.
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In the run chase, Smriti Mandhana and Deepti Sharma had tilted the momentum in India’s favour with a solid 69-run stand before England struck thrice in quick succession to claw their way back into the contest.
Mandhana, looking well set, was caught at long on while attempting to go big, giving Linsey Smith her first wicket of the match. Nat Sciver-Brunt then dismissed Richa Ghosh and Sophie Ecclestone tightened the screws by removing Deepti, who fell in similar fashion to Mandhana. The flurry of wickets saw India slip from 234/3 to 262/6.
Earlier, Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur had added 125 runs for the third wicket to keep India’s chase on track after the early setbacks. Kaur was eventually caught at short third while attempting to play the ball late.
The pair had rebuilt the innings after England struck twice in the powerplay, dismissing Pratika Rawal and Harleen Deol to dent India’s start. Lauren Bell had provided England’s first breakthrough when Rawal attempted a late cut but edged through to the keeper. Before the end of the powerplay, Charlie Dean struck again, trapping Deol LBW as she tried to play a slower delivery down the leg side.
In the first innings, India struck at regular intervals to restrict England to 288/8 after Heather Knight’s magnificent century had set the tone for the innings. England were cruising at 249/4 when Knight fell but India’s bowlers kept chipping away to ensure the total stayed under 300.
Knight top-scored with a superb 109 off 91 balls, laced with 15 fours and a six, while Amy Jones (56) provided a steady start at the top of the order to lay the platform for England.
India’s spinners led the fightback as hosts conceded only 42 runs in the final six overs while picking up five wickets, with Deepti Sharma (4/51) standing out as the pick of the bowlers, well supported by Sree Charani (2/68).
Brief Scores: England 288/8 (Heather Knight 109, Amy Jones 56; Deepti Sharma 4-51, Shree Charani 2-68) beat India 284/6 (Smriti Mandhana 88, Harmanpreet Kaur 70; Nat Sciver-Brunt 2-47, Linsey Smith 1-40) by four runs.
