India vs England: Shafali Verma vs Katherine Brunt, improved Indian fielding and other highlights from T20Is

India vs England: Shafali Verma vs Katherine Brunt, improved Indian fielding and other highlights from T20Is

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Jul 16, 2021 - 10:19
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India vs England: Shafali Verma vs Katherine Brunt, improved Indian fielding and other highlights from T20Is
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The England tour ended on a rather disappointing note for the Indian women's cricket team as they slumped to an eight-wicket loss in their final game of the month-long trip.

The ending might have turned out to be a damp squib, but the journey was one that was full of lessons for the largely young side, along with some thrills and some major discoveries. Such was the case for England team that ended the multi-format series as victors, having accumulated 10 points against the visiting team's 6.

While the Indians fought back bravely to secure a draw in the one-off Test in Bristol, salvaging two points out of four on offer as a result, chinks in their armour were exposed during the limited-overs contests as they slumped to 1-2 series defeats in both the ODIs and the T20Is.

India's lone victory in the 50-over format came in a dead rubber, they managed to keep the series alive till the last game of the T20I series in Chelmsford, having heroically fought-back in Hove in the second match. England however, made a mockery of the 154-run target set by the Indians in the series-decider to crown themselves undisputed champions at the end of the tour.

Let us now recap some of the highlights from the T20I leg of India's tour of England by looking at some of the key moments, battles and individual performances from the series:

Shafali Verma v Katherine Brunt

Teen sensation Verma had set the marker with her scores of 96 and 63 in the one-off Test, giving a fair warning to the English bowlers of what was to follow if they did not redraw their plans for the explosive Indian opener. It was also during her Test debut that she began a mini-battle against one particular member of the opposition — veteran seamer Katherine Brunt.

The one-dayers saw the battle between the two steadily escalate, before it took off to another level in the T20Is. The 20-over contests witnessed a see-saw battle between the two competitors.

England seamer Katherine Brunt celebrates with teammates after removing India opener Shafali Verma for a two-ball duck in the third T20I in Chelmsford. AP

Having been hit for a flurry of boundaries in the ODIs, Brunt signalled her intent to dominate Verma by dismissing her for a two-ball duck in the rain-affected first T20I at Northampton, in which India ended up on the losing side.

Verma, however, bounced back in the very next game in style as she played a part in the visitors' series-levelling win with her destructive 48 — of which 20 runs were collected through five consecutive fours off the bowler with nearly 300 international wickets to her name.

Such was the impact of her destruction that Brunt had to be immediately taken off the attack, and skipper Heather Knight brought her back only once she had departed and there were two new batters at the crease.

Brunt would, however, have the last laugh in the battle as she managed to keep Verma quiet in the series-decider, dismissing her for a two-ball duck to give England a dream start in the match that they would end up winning quite easily.

A fitter and a more agile India

India's fielding in the series perhaps made up for their shortcomings in some of their other departments, and helped make them all the more competitive in the three-match series.

Lest we forget, it was India's fielding in this series that led to Americans discussing cricket for a change, thanks to the clip of Harleen Deol pulling off an absolute stunner at long off to dismiss English keeper-batter Amy Jones going viral on Twitter, Instagram and other social media platforms.

The first T20I saw Deol throw the ball back inside the playing area from the edge of the boundary rope before leaping forward to complete a clean catch off an incredibly difficult situation. The effort did not escape the attention of the legends of the game as she received accolades from the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Lisa Sthalekar, Mel Jones and VVS Laxman among others.

T20I captain Harmanpreet, who herself pulled off a fine catch at long on to dismiss Nat Sciver just a few overs before Deol's catch, credited fielding coach Abhay Sharma for the marked improvement in the team's fitness and agility.

"Earlier also, we used to make a lot of effort but the little adjustments that he has done with our fielding, the individual sessions that he has taken with the players that has helped," said the India T20I skipper.

India's batting woes need an urgent fix

While India showed great progress in saving runs through their fielding, the same however, cannot be said of the intent shown by the batters, especially the middle order.

Much like the one-day series in which skipper Mithali Raj scored runs aplenty but never quite found the support that she needed at the other end, India's batters never quite seemed to click as a unit in the T20Is. This was especially evident in the second T20I in which openers Verma and Smriti Mandhana got the visitors off to a dream start with a 70-run opening stand, but the remaining batters couldn't quite build on that start, allowing England to build pressure by drying up the boundaries, which then led to a couple of more wickets.

From targetting a total in excess of 160, India ultimately fell short by 12 runs which could've cost them the game had it not been for the brilliance of their spinners in the death overs.

Mandhana pointed towards the batting woes as a major area of concern, and said the team needed to do better if they were to hope for their maiden ICC World Cup title next year.

"We have to work on a lot of things, especially in the batting department. Going forward, the next seven months will be really crucial," said Mandhana, who shone in the deciding T20I with a 51-ball 70 that ultimately went in vain.

Danni Wyatt's royal return to the lineup

Senior member of the England cricket team Wyatt had found her name missing from the lineup for the one-off Test, and wasn't part of the team's plans for the one-dayers either. Once a key member in the England dressing room, she appeared to have hit a hurdle of late and would've had had to make every opportunity count in the T20Is in order to stave off competition for the opener's slot. And unfortunately for her, a start (31) in the first game followed by a blip (3) in the second simply wasn't going to cut it for her.

And secure her spot she did in style. Wyatt, who has played in T20 leagues in both Australia and India aside from the Kia Super League at home, stole the limelight in the series-decider as she played a central role in making the chase of the 154-runs look quite easy with a blazing 89 not out off just 56 deliveries, smashing 12 fours and a six along the way, the knock helping her finish on top of the run charts at the end of the series.

Much like the previous game, things did get a little tense towards the end when Sneh Rana dismissed a set Sciver, which was followed by Poonam Yadav conceding just three runs off the 17th over. Wyatt though, gave a reminder of her ability as a finisher as she smashed a six and a four off Deepti Sharma to bring the equation down to just one off nine balls, before collecting the winning single.

Nat Sciver reigns supreme

The way Sciver delivered in all three departments during the series certainly made her a captain's delight, and the all-rounder rightfully bagged the Player of the Series award to help England clinch the T20Is and win the multi-format series.

Sciver, who had been appointed England's vice-captain, across formats, replacing Anya Shrubsole shortly before the one-off Test got underway, carried her form over to the one-dayers from the Test and only got better in the 20-over contests. Her knocks of 55 and 42 at Northampton and Hove respectively came in winning causes. The first helping the hosts put up a match-winning total while the other one coming in a supporting role during a run chase that also helped ease the pressure caused by losing an early wicket. Add to that her strike rate of 153.12, the best among all batters, that also made the difference.

Sciver was also one of the five bowlers who ended up with three wickets from the series, but what set her apart was the outstanding economy (5.20) and average (17.33) that accompanied it, helping her finish on top of the pile.

And let's not forget the difference she made with her fielding. Her running catch to dismiss Verma, paddling to her right from long on, was a testament to her fitness levels. Add that to her batting and bowling prowess, and we have a player who couldn't be more deserving of the No 1 spot in the ICC women's all-rounder rankings in T20Is.

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