India level T20 women's series in clash with England

Opener Smriti Mandhana's 79 and captain Harmanpreet Kaur's unbeaten 29 helped India beat England by eight wickets in the second T20I of the three-match series at County Cricket Ground, Derby.

Smriti's glorious unbeaten knock ensured that India avoided any hiccups to chase down a sub-par total set by the hosts England. She was ably accompanied by the Indian captain right till the end to help India with their first win of the series, enabling the visitors to tie the series 1-1. The Indian team made a decent start to their run chase after Freya Kemp became the youngest woman to make a T20I fifty for England, and helped her team reach a sub-par total.

Shafali Verma accompanied ace batter Mandhana to begin the innings. The duo took the attack to the English bowlers, hitting a flurry of boundaries in the powerplay. The southpaw Mandhana made merry of the bowling of first innings hero Freya Kemp, who came on to bowl the fifth over.

India chased down the target with 20 balls to spare, levelling the series. The decider will now be played in Bristol on September 15 with the series on the line.

Smriti Mandhana was adjudged the 'Player of the Match' for her match-winning knock of 79 runs that included 13 boundaries.

(ANI)