England Beat India By 4 Wickets To Register First Win In World Cup 2022

Women's World Cup: England bowled out India for a paltry of 134 in the first inning

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Defending champions England finally registered their win of the Women's World Cup 2022 as they defeat India by four wickets at Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui. 

The chase of a modest total of 134 wasn't a clean one though as England lost six wickets and took more than 31 overs - something which will hurt them if NRR comes into play later in the tournament. 

Indians began the defence brilliantly as England got reduced to 4/2 inside three overs and had probably lost Natalie Sciver in the fifth over if it hadn't for a piece of bizarre luck she had. However, Sciver took it in her stride and smiled her way to score 45 off 46 balls.

Captain Heather Knight took the responsibility of finishing the match as England faced quite a few hiccups on the way, losing wickets at regular intervals - keeping India interested throughout the game. 

However, the total was too low and Knight was good enough on the day to take the team home. 

For India, Meghna Singh took three wickets while Jhulan Goswami, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, and Pooka Vastrakar got one wicket each. 

Earlier, Charlie Dean clinched career-best figures of four for 23 in ODIS as India were bowled out for a paltry 134 in a must-win league match.

Captain Heather Knight's decision to bowl first on a fresh pitch that looked dry paid off as India's top and middle-order just couldn't get going. The defending champions bowled fuller, fielded well, took their catches, and were bang-on with their run-outs.

Smriti Mandhana was the top scorer for India, scoring 35 off 58 but the rest of the batting order failed to help her build the innings. Richa Ghosh made 33 but got runout while Jhulan's 20 got India past the 130-run mark. 

With this win, England have finally got points under their belt and India continue to be third on the points table with a positive run rate. 

Brief Scorecard: 

India - 134/10 in 36/2 overs
England - 136/6 in 31.2 overs