India Women Eye ODI Glory Against England After Historic T20I Triumph

Southampton: Fresh off a historic T20I series win over England, the Indian women's cricket team is set to carry that momentum into the three-match ODI series, beginning July 16 in Southampton. Having clinched their first-ever T20I series against England with a 3-2 win, the ‘Women in Blue’ now shift focus to fine-tuning their 50-over strategy ahead of the ODI World Cup later this year.

India’s last ODI outing—a triumphant Tri-series against Sri Lanka and South Africa—showcased their evolving batting approach, with scores consistently nearing or crossing the 300-run mark. “We’ve been aiming to score over 300 in ODIs to give our bowlers more cushion,” skipper Harmanpreet Kaur said. The team’s spin-heavy strategy, as seen in the T20Is, will likely continue.

Emerging opener Pratika Rawal once again edges out Shafali Verma, following a record-breaking Tri-series performance where she became the fastest to 500 runs in women's ODIs. With Kaur, Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh, and Deepti Sharma in the line-up, India’s batting looks formidable.

However, the pace unit will be tested in the absence of Titas Sadhu, Renuka Singh, and Pooja Vastrakar. Arundhati Reddy leads a relatively inexperienced pace attack, supported by Amanjot Kaur and Sayali Ganesh. The spin department remains strong with Deepti Sharma, Sneh Rana, and Radha Yadav.

England, meanwhile, are boosted by the return of skipper Nat Sciver-Brunt and world No. 1 ODI bowler Sophie Ecclestone, both back from injuries.

The series promises high-octane action as both teams gear up for World Cup preparations.