Deepti Sharma and Sneh Rana Lead India to Thrilling 4-Wicket Win Over England in Southampton

In the opening ODI of the three-match series in Southampton on Thursday, India defeated England by four wickets thanks to outstanding half-centuries from Deepti Sharma and a strong spell from all-rounder Sneh Rana. The series is presently 1-0 in favour of the visitors. Before Sophia Dunkley's undefeated 92-ball 83, which helped England to a comfortable 258 for six, young seamer Kranti Goud made an impression with two wickets up front. After England decided to bat, off-spinner Sneh Rana (2/31 in 10 overs) also took two wickets in a brilliant performance, in addition to Goud (2/55 in 9 overs).

On Wednesday, Nat Sciver-Brunt chose to bat first after winning the toss. But in her first two overs, Amy Jones and Tammy Beaumont were out of the game thanks to Kranti Goud's outstanding bowling with the new ball. England needed a partnership at 20/2, and Emma Lamb and captain Sciver-Brunt provided it. With 87 balls, they added 71 runs. On the other hand, Sneh Rana quickly dismissed the two set hitters.

All-Round Brilliance from Deepti Sharma and Sneh Rana:

When the score was 97/4, Davidson Richards and Sophia Dunkley came together and produced a partnership of 106 runs off 142 balls. Following Richards' dismissal for a 53 off 73 balls, Sophie Ecclestone joined Dunkley in the middle. Dunkley was removed off the last ball of the innings after they had formed a 55-run partnership off 37 balls. She hit nine boundaries while scoring 83 off 92 balls. In their 50 overs, England finished with 258/6, at least 20 runs below the par total. Rana finished with stats of 2/31 in 10 overs, making him the best bowler.

🔊 Hear it from the match-winners!

Deepti Sharma, Jemimah Rodrigues & Sneh Rana reflect on the 1st ODI win!🏏💙#CricketTwitterpic.twitter.com/82ELKDwmdM

— Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) July 17, 2025

At 124/4 in the 28th over, India was in trouble. But with just 86 deliveries, Jemimah Rodrigues and Deepti Sharma put together a 90-run partnership. Despite Jemimah's dismissal for a 48 off 54 balls, Deepti kept the scoreboard ticking. While Deepti completed on 62 after facing 64 deliveries, and Amanjot Kaur remained undefeated at 20 off 14 balls, Richa Ghosh was dismissed for 10. India took four wickets and easily won in 48.2 overs.

India XI: Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh (wk), Pratika Rawal, Smriti Mandhana, Harleen Deol, Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Deepti Sharma, Amanjot Kaur, Sneh Rana, Sree Charani, and Kranti Goud

England XI: Sophia Dunkley, Alice Davidson-Richards, Charlie Dean, Sophie Ecclestone, Kate Cross, Lauren Filer, Lauren Bell, Tammy Beaumont, Amy Jones (wk), Emma Lamb, and Nat Sciver-Brunt (c).

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