"Jersey number 7 finishing match with a six, seen this before"- Fans react after Harmanpreet Kaur finishes first ODI vs England with a six

The Indian Women's team beat the England team comprehensively by seven wickets on Sunday, September 18, in the first ODI of the three-match series at the County Ground in Hove. Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur remained unbeaten in the chase and finished the match in style with a six in the 45th over.

After being put into bat first, England got off to a poor start courtesy of brilliant spells from Jhulan Goswami and Meghna Singh in the powerplay as the scoreboard read 26/2 after ten overs.

Danielle Wyatt (43), Sophie Ecclestone (31), and Davidson Richards (53) played sensibly in the middle order and helped England reach a modest total of 227/7. Deepti Sharma (2/33) was the pick of the bowlers for the visiting team.

In response, Kate Cross dismissed aggressive batter Shafali Verma (1) in the second over to give the hosts an early breakthrough. Smriti Mandhana (91 off 99 balls) then forged a 96-run partnership with Yastika Bhatia (50 off 47 balls) to stabilize the innings. The left-handed duo blended caution with aggression perfectly during their stand and scored runs at a healthy rate.

After Bhatia's departure, Harmanpreet Kaur (74*) joined hands with the Indian vice-captain and took their side to the shores of a victory with a 99-run partnership for the third wicket. Smriti Mandhana narrowly missed out on a well-deserved century after a leading edge went straight into the hands of the mid-on fielder in the 37th over.

Harmanpreet Kaur remained calm at the other end and steered India towards victory in the 45th over in the company of Harleen Deol (6 off 20 balls) without any further hiccups.

Smriti Mandhana won the Player of the Match award for her match-winning knock in the chase. Speaking at the post-match presentation, the southpaw said:

Fans react after Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur help India take 1-0 in 3-match ODI series against England

Fans on social media enjoyed the contest between India and England women's teams on Sunday. They expressed their views on India's emphatic victory through intriguing posts on Twitter and Instagram platforms.

The two sides will next lock horns in the second ODI of the series on September 21, Wednesday, at the St Lawrence Ground in Canterbury.

About the author

Balakrishna has been a cricket writer at Sportskeeda for almost seven years. A sport that he has been following and playing since he was eight, Balakrishna enjoys the intensity of the sport, skills and strategies applied to get a result out of nowhere, and the thrill that it gives. He also played as a medium pace bowling all-rounder in four inter-college tournaments, winning twice.

Balakrishna’s all-time favorite cricketers are Sachin Tendulkar and Rohit Sharma. He admires Sachin’s stellar performances against legendary bowlers, along with his discipline and humility. Meanwhile, he is a big fan of how Rohit turned around his initial struggles to build a successful career.

He avidly supports Team India and 2016 IPL winners SunRisers Hyderabad. The first World Cup that Balakrishna ever saw was the 2003 World Cup, when Australia comprehensively triumphed over India in the final.

While working, he ensures he only uses reliable sources and provides relevant, ethical, and accurate information. When not working, Balakrishna enjoys playing table tennis and reading non-fiction books.

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