Richa Ghosh's fighting knock goes in vain as England Women edge India by 5 runs in T20 WC warm-up match

Amy Jones' 64-run knock and Nat Sciver-Brunt's 45-ball 57, along with Danielle Gibson's unbeaten 12-ball 30, guided England to 171/6 in 20 overs. On the other hand, Linsey Smith's three-wicket haul, along with Charlotte Dean, Tilly Corteen-Coleman and Danielle Gibson's two wickets each, restricted India to 166/10 in 19.5 overs despite Richa Ghosh's valiant 36-ball 68.

Chasing a daunting target of 172, India looked dead and buried before Ghosh launched a blistering counterattack, smashing 68 off just 36 balls. However, her dismissal in the tense final over, saw India bowled out for 166 with one ball to spare.

India's pursuit of 172 got off to a disastrous start. The prominent opening duo of Smriti Mandhana (1) and Shafali Verma (13) failed to fire, leaving India at 18/2 in 2.4 overs.

When skipper Harmanpreet Kaur (17) fell cheaply trying to force the pace against England's disciplined spin attack, India's chase seemed to lose its spine. Wickets continued to tumble at regular intervals, and at 120/6 in 16 overs, the target looked well out of India's reach.

Refusing to throw in the towel, Richa Ghosh launched her counter-attack. The young wicketkeeper turned the match on its head, hitting nine fours and two sixes.

While India lost wickets of Shreyanka Patil and Kranti Gaud in the 18th over, Richa and Shree Charani helped India take 21 runs off the penultimate over, as the equation came down to a manageable 17 runs off the final over.

Ghosh immediately put the pressure back on Linsey Smith, who bowled the final over, dispatching the second delivery for a boundary and launching the third ball of the over beyond the ropes for a six. With India needing just 6 runs off the remaining 4 balls, momentum had completely swung in the chasing side's favour.

However, the drama peaked on the fourth ball of the over. Advancing down the track to finish the game, Ghosh was deceived by Smith's flight and turn, allowing stand-in keeper Alice Capsey to take the bails off. Ghosh's magnificent 36-ball 68 came to a disappointing end.

India's last batter to come out, Renuka Singh Thakur, was cleaned up on the next ball, wrapping up the Indian innings for 166 in 19.5 overs, as England clinched the match by five runs.

Earlier in the match, India won the toss and elected to field first. England's innings was anchored by an excellent 70-run partnership between captain Nat Sciver-Brunt and Amy Jones.

After losing early wickets, Sciver-Brunt (57 off 45 balls) and Jones (64 off 45 deliveries) rebuilt the innings with clinical precision. A late-innings cameo from Dani Gibson, who blasted an unbeaten 30 off just 12 balls, provided the final flourish to propel England to a robust 171/6 in their 20 overs.

For India, off-spinner Shreyanka Patil was the pick of the bowlers, finishing with impressive figures of 2/29.

Despite the narrow defeat, India will take confidence from their lower-order fighting spirit, as they prepare for their highly anticipated T20 World Cup 2026 opener against arch-rivals Pakistan on Sunday at Edgbaston. (ANI)