India suffered a heartbreaking loss at the hands of England at the ICC Women’s World Cup in Indore (Images via AP) Indore: What happened here has to be one of the most heartbreaking defeats the Indian women’s cricket team has ever suffered and their qualification for the semi-finals of the 2025 Women’s ODI World Cup is in real jeopardy.Riding on excellent half-centuries from senior batsmen Smriti Mandhan (88 off 84 runs), skipper Harmanpreet Kaur (70 runs off as many balls) and Deepti Sharma, who put in a brilliant all-round performance (50 off 57 deliveries and 4-51 off 10 overs), India looked set to chase down 289 but their tally was just 289. four runs short on a smoggy Sunday night at the Holkar Stadium.England became the third team after Australia and South Africa to qualify for the semi-finals, while India, who suffered their third straight loss, now need to beat New Zealand at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on October 23 to sneak in as the fourth semi-finalists. It was also the first time that the Indian women’s team played a WODI at the Holkar Stadium.The star of England’s victory was their former captain Heather Knight, who was recalled as captain last year after England exited the Women’s T20 World Cup semi-finals, losing the Ashes 16-0 to Australia. Playing in her landmark 300th international match, Knight truly proved herself to be England’s ‘knight in shining armour’ as she smashed a brilliant century (109 off 91 balls, with 15 boundaries and a six) to help her team post a competitive 288 for eight against the hosts. India needed 14 from the last over with all-rounders Amanjot Kaur and Sneh Rana in the middle but left-arm spinner Linsey Smith, who took just 1-40 in 10 overs in a high-scoring game, gave just nine. Chasing 289 under lights, India suffered two early blows when Lauren Bell (6) returned to action in the third over and No. 3 batsman Harleen Deol (24 off 31 balls) caught plumb in front as she tried to play opposite Charlie Dean. The duo of Harmanpreet and Mandhana put on 125 in 122 balls for the third wicket to raise the prospect of an easy win, but India kept losing wickets at the wrong time. Harmanpreet, who tried repeatedly to cut the ball towards third man, was caught in the 31st over just short of England’s third skipper Nat-Sciver Brunt. Mandhana, tiring with cramps, fought his way through and dismissed Smith at long-on in the 42nd over. Sciver-Brunt then had Rich Ghosh (eight off 10 balls) caught at cover in the 46th over and suddenly India, trailing the required run-rate, had no one to force the pace. Once Deepti edged Sophie Ecclestone over deep mid-wicket in the 47th over, the game was in England’s hands. Earlier, as the 34-year-old Knight displayed her amazing skill in sweeping the spinners, she scored her third ODI ton and the highest score in WODI history. She rotated the strike brilliantly while clearing the boundaries and stitched 113 runs from 106 deliveries with skipper Nate Sciver-Brunt.Earlier in the competition, against Bangladesh in Guwahati, England slipped to a shaky 103 for 6 before their former captain took them home with an unbeaten 79.But it wasn’t just Knight who stamped her authority on the game. With India searching for answers after ‘keeper-bat Amy Jones (56 off 68) and Tammy Beaumont (22 off 43) gave England a steady start of 73 runs in 97 balls, Deepti brought India back into the game by scalping both wickets. Deepti finished with her best ever figures in ODI World Cups and with 13 wickets in five matches, she stands out as the highest wicket-taker in the tournament.After Knight was finally gone – run out thanks to brilliant work at deep square leg by Amanjot Kaur, who quickly recovered from a misfield to fire a pinpoint throw in the 45th over – India bounced back in sensational fashion to claim five wickets for 39 runs. In fact, all England, with their middle-order frailties exposed again, could score was 42 runs in the last six overs, losing five wickets, two of them being run out. Things would have been worse for England had they failed to get 11 off the last end of the innings bowled by Shree Charani.
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Deepti, who was brought into the attack in the 16th over, cleared Beaumont’s stumps after the bat missed the smash to record her 150th WODI scalp in her 117th WODI.Seamer Renuka Singh Thakur, who returned at the expense of batsman Jemimah Rodrigues, justified India’s decision to play with six bowlers by conceding 0-37 in eight overs, although she failed to strike early.
