India's T20 World Cup warm-up ends with disappointing loss against England

India women suffered a disappointing five-run loss at the hands of England in their final warm-up game of the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2026 on June 10. Chasing 172, India's innings never got the steam it needed as wickets fell at regular intervals.

India lost both their openers (Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma) inside the first three overs and were reduced to 18/2. Yastika Bhatia (15 off 17) and Harmanpreet Kaur (17 off 18) added 30 runs for the third wicket, but their partnership never threatened to take the game away from England.

Bharti Fulmali (18 off 17) couldn't get going either, and her tempo hurt India's progress. Richa Ghosh was the only standout batter. She scored 68 off 36 balls, laced with nine fours and two sixes at a strike rate of 188.88 and kept India in the hunt. But the lack of support from the other end cost India dearly.

Linsey Smith (3/42) was the pick of all the English bowlers. The slow left-arm orthodox bowler tilted the game England's way as she got rid of the dangerous Ghosh. Other than Ghosh, Smith accounted for Mandhana and Renuka Singh Thakur.

Charlie Dean, Tilly Corteen-Coleman and Dani Gibson also claimed two wickets apiece to support Smith.

Earlier in the day, Amy Jones showcased her ability to bat against the new ball as she scored a fine half-century. Her 45-ball 64 laid the foundation of England's 171-run total. She stitched a 70-run stand for the second wicket with skipper Nat Sciver-Brunt. Sciver-Brunt's innings was the biggest positive that emerged out of the fixture for England.

She scored a 45-ball 57 at a strike rate of 126.66, which may seem ordinary, but England can take heart from the fact that their captain was able to spend valuable time in the middle. It is critical as Sciver-Brunt missed the entirety of England's build-up to the marquee event.

Gibson played a quick-fire knock of 30* off 12 balls, laced with four boundaries and a maximum at a jaw-dropping strike rate of 250.00. Her innings gave much-needed impetus to England and got them to a total they could defend.

Shreyanka Patil (2/29) was the most successful bowler for India, whereas Radha Yadav, Shree Charani, Shafali, and Renuka got a wicket each.