On her 300th international appearance, Heather Knight produced a captain’s innings, scoring 109 off 91 balls with 15 fours and a six.
Her century stand of 113 runs with Nat Sciver-Brunt (38) formed the backbone of England’s 288/8 after they lost five wickets for 42 runs late in the innings.
Amy Jones added a useful 56 off 68 balls, while Deepti Sharma’s 4-51 kept India in the contest. Knight, dropped on 91 by Deepti, made India pay with a series of crisp sweeps before being run out on 109. Her effort ensured England posted a total just out of India’s reach.
India’s Chase Unravels After Strong Start
India looked on course for a famous win when Smriti Mandhana (88) and Harmanpreet Kaur (70) stitched a century stand for the third wicket.
At 231 for 3, with 57 needed off 57 balls, the chase seemed in control. But England struck back — first removing Harmanpreet, then Mandhana — before Deepti Sharma’s fifty ended with a miscued slog-sweep.
The collapse turned a straightforward chase into heartbreak. Despite a boundary from Amanjot Kaur off the final ball, India finished four runs short at 284/6.
Harmanpreet: “Smriti’s Wicket Was the Turning Point”
A visibly emotional Harmanpreet Kaur admitted the team let a golden chance slip away.
Smriti’s wicket was the turning point for us. Still had batters, but I don’t know how things went the other way. Credit to England. They didn’t lose hope; they kept bowling and getting wickets. It’s a bad feeling when you’ve put in so much hard work, but the last 5-6 overs didn’t go according to plan. It’s heartbreaking. We’re playing good cricket, but we have to cross the line.
The loss marked India’s third straight defeat, leaving them on the brink of elimination with a must-win game against New Zealand next.
Sciver-Brunt: “We Knew One Wicket Could Change Everything”
England captain Nat Sciver-Brunt praised her side’s composure under pressure.
“So, so happy. Everyone showed how calm they were. When the partnership between Harman and Smriti built, it looked like they were going to chase it easily. But we knew if we got a wicket, we could put on pressure. Linsey [Smith] bowled the last over brilliantly to close the game. Heather’s innings was special — her use of sweeps and reverse sweeps was brilliant.”
With the win, England booked their place in the semifinals, joining Australia and South Africa.
Brief Scores: England 288/8 in 50 overs (Heather Knight 109, Amy Jones 56; Deepti Sharma 4-51, Shree Charani 2-68) lost to India 284/6 in 50 overs (Smriti Mandhana 88, Harmanpreet Kaur 70, Deepti Sharma 50; Nat Sciver-Brunt 2-47, Linsey Smith 1-40) . England won by 4 runs
