Most of India first heard of Danielle Wyatt when she proposed — in jest, of course — to Virat Kohli on Twitter in 2014. India’s women cricketers, however, had known her long before.
She made her international debut against them, and last year she hit a sensational 124 off 64 balls in a T20 match at Mumbai They were at the receiving end of her bat on Thursday too, in the second T20 International at the Barsapara Stadium here.
Solid batting
In a match in which nobody else reached 30, Wyatt scored an unbeaten 64 (55b, 6x4) to lead England not just to a five-wicket win but to a series victory as well. The visitors have taken an unassailable 2-0 lead, with the final match to be played on Saturday.
Though they were chasing a modest target of 112, they weren’t exactly cruising, against what was a fine effort from India’s four-pronged spin attack. They were in some trouble, too, when captain Heather Knight was trapped lbw by left-arm spinner Ekta Bisht, leaving them at 56 for four.
But in Lauren Winfield, Wyatt found support. The duo added 47 for the fifth wicket, calmed the nerves in the dressing room and frustrated the Indian team as well as the goodly crowd.
Leggie Poonam Yadav, left-arm spinner Radha Yadav and off-spinner Deepti Sharma had bowled their hearts out, but the runs on the board weren’t enough.
Radha provided the breakthrough by cleaning up Tammy Beaumont, England’s star of the first match.
Then Poonam caught Amy Jones off her own bowling. Ekta, whom India had surprisingly omitted in the last match, had Natalie Sciver lbw.
Watching all this from the other end was Wyatt, who went on to play a well-constructed innings. She used her feet beautifully against the spinners and played some fine shots on the off-side.
But none of those strokes could invoke as much awe as the two sixes hit by India captain Smriti Mandhana earlier in the day, after Knight put the host in.
The elegant left-hander lifted the first ball she faced over long-off. The last ball of the over, bowled by seamer Anya Shrubsole, was dispatched over long-on.
It was lovely to watch. But, it didn’t last long.
Smriti’s attempt to drive medium-pacer Katherine Brunt, in the very next over, could only succeed in producing a thick outside edge to the ’keeper.
Jemimah Rodrigues then was guilty of being too ambitious; she fancied a big heave on the leg-side against the same bowler and lost her off-stump.
It indeed was a fine spell from Brunt, who varied her pace well to finish with three for 17 from four overs.
Smith impresses again
Left-arm spinner Lincey Smith, who took two for 11, impressed yet again. But, it has to be said that her job — and that of the other bowlers — was made easier by the Indians.
Only one of them — Mithali Raj — could reach 20. But for a couple of fours from debutant Bharati Fulmali towards the end, India may not have reached 100.
Scoreboard
India Innings: Harleen Deol c Sciver b Smith 14; Smriti Mandhana (c) c Jones b Brunt 12; Jemimah Rodrigues b Brunt 2; Mithali Raj c Winfield b Cross 20; Deepti Sharma run out (Shrubsole/Jones) 18; Bharati Fulmali b Brunt 18; Shikha Pandey b Smith 3; Taniya Bhatia c Knight b Shrubsole 1; Radha Yadav not out 3; Ekta Bisht not out 2. Extras: (B-7, LB-3, W-8) 18
Total: (for 8 in in 20 Overs) 111
Fall of wickets: 1-24, 2-34, 3-34, 4-69, 5-82, 6-91, 7-95, 8-105.
Bowling: N Sciver 1-0-9-0, A Shrubsole 4-0-23-1 , K Brunt 4-0-17-3, L Smith 3-0-11-2, L Marsh 4-0-24-0, K Cross 4-0-17-1.
England Innings: Danielle Wyatt not out 64; Tammy Beaumont b Yadav 8; Amy Jones c & b PYadav 5; Natalie Sciver lbw b Bisht 1; Heather Knight lbw b Bisht 2; Lauren Winfield c Rodrigues b Sharma 29; Katherine Brunt not out 2. Extras: (LB-2,W-1) 3
Total: (for 5 wickets 19.1 Overs) 114
Fall of wickets: 1-28, 2-45 , 3-50, 4-56, 5-103.
Bowling: S Pandey 4-0-21-0, E Bisht 4-0-23-2, D Sharma 3.1-0-18-1, R Yadav 4-0-26-1, P Yadav 3-0-18-1, H Deol 1-0-6-0.
