England bounced back strongly in the second Women’s ODI, easing past India by eight wickets in a rain-affected clash at Lord’s on Saturday. Opener Amy Jones led the way with an unbeaten 46, helping the hosts chase down a revised target of 115 with ease to level the three-match series 1-1.After India’s dominant chase of 259 in the first ODI, their batting faltered in the second as they posted a modest 143/8 in the 29-overs-a-side contest. Smriti Mandhana top-scored with 42, but found little support from the rest of the batting lineup.England’s chase began smoothly, with Jones and Tammy Beaumont (34 off 35) adding 54 for the opening stand. Off-spinner Sneh Rana broke the partnership by trapping Beaumont lbw with a reverse sweep gone wrong. Jones then combined with skipper Nat Sciver-Brunt (21) to take the hosts within 42 runs of victory before rain interrupted play.When action resumed, England’s revised DLS target was 115 in 24 overs. Though Kranti Gaud bowled a peach to dismiss Sciver-Brunt, the result was never in doubt. Sophie Dunkley sealed the win with a boundary in the 21st over, completing a dominant performance from the home side.A minimum of 20 overs was required for a result, and the Lord’s ground staff worked swiftly to ensure enough overs were bowled for DLS to come into play—ensuring the match didn’t end in a no-result.
Earlier, India never got going with the bat. After losing debutant opener Pratika Rawal in the second over to Em Arlott (2/26), Mandhana and Harleen Deol (16) added 40 for the second wicket to steady the innings.However, Deol’s dismissal—caught and bowled by Sophie Ecclestone—triggered a collapse. The left-arm spinner was once again England’s standout, claiming 3/27 as India lost four wickets for just 26 runs in the middle phase. Mandhana, who had earlier been dropped on two, was eventually dismissed for 42, chipping Linsey Smith (2/28) to Charlie Dean inside the circle.At 98/6, India were staring at a sub-120 total, but Deepti Sharma (30*) and Arundhati Reddy (14) added 26 crucial runs for the seventh wicket to give the score some respectability. However, Reddy’s dismissal ended that resistance, and India fell well short of a par score.The third and final ODI will now be played in Durham on July 22, with everything to play for.
