India women lost their five-match ODI series of NZW vs INDW on Saturday, notwithstanding skipper Mithali Raj's exquisite half-century. They received the defeat to the White Ferns by 62 runs.

New Zealand knocked India out for 213 in 49.4 overs, with Jess Kerr taking 4/35 in 9.4 overs. The visiting team's leader Mithali Raj (59 off 73 balls) and Yastika Bhatia (41 off 63) demonstrated some efforts. However, the hosts regained control of the game and started the ODI series on a brighter note.

Read also: NZW vs INDW: "We will need at least two-three games to get used to conditions", says Mithali Raj

The Captain's lone fight in the NZW vs INDW battle

Mithali, who was playing her 221st ODI, kept India in contention with a 73-ball 59, continuing her dream performance in the format (seven fifties in the previous 11 innings in ODIs) (6x4).

Mithali also equalled Charlotte Edwards in achieving 1,000 runs in one-day international cricket against four separate teams: Australia, England, Sri Lanka, and New Zealand. She also became the first Indian to score 1000 runs in one-day internationals against New Zealand.

In their One-Day International, the Indian women's team surpassed Australia's previous high of 265 set in September of last year. Thus, ending their adversaries' 26-match winning streak. However, this time, even Mithali's well-formed half-century served no purpose as Indian batting faltered with the visitors losing the match.

India also faced the consequences for Harmanpreet Kaur's terrible form, as she had just returned from the Big Bash League. Also, the absence of their star batter Smriti Mandhana harmed India tremendously once again. Particularly in their attempt to break the 275-run mark.

Read also: Will Mithali Raj change her batting position to prepare for the 2022 Women's World Cup?

Earlier, Suzie Bates' 106 off 111 balls and Amy Satterthwaite's 63 off 67 had propelled New Zealand to 275/10 in 48.1 overs.

However, New Zealand not only established an early advantage in the five-match ODI series, but they also maintained their winning spirit as they transitioned to the lengthier format after defeating India by 18 runs in a one-off T20I on February 9.

Indian cricket team captain Harmanpreet Kaur shared her Player of the match award with youngster Kranti Goud, after India's historic WODI series against England on Tuesday in Chester-le-Street. India had won their maiden WODI series on English soil in 2022 and have now recorded their successive series win there.

Not only that, after winning their first-ever WT20I series on English soil, India registered their WODI series win, which makes it their most successful England tour ever. 

After winning the first WODI of the series, England made a great comeback at Lord's. In the final match of the series, India then managed a narrow 13-run win at Durham International Cricket Ground.

𝐓𝟐𝟎𝐈 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 🏆 ✅
𝐎𝐃𝐈 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 🏆✅

Watch #ENGWvINDW 3️⃣rd ODI - Highlights on #SonyLIV 📲 pic.twitter.com/JJ1iJcj2eF

— Sony LIV (@SonyLIV) July 22, 2025

What happened in the match?

India won the toss and decided to bat first. After a good opening partnership of 64 runs, India lost Pratika Rawal on 26 off 33 balls. After that, England bowlers bounced back well, and in the meantime, India wanted to play out Sophie Ecclestone's spell. 

With Harleen Deol struggling to get going, Smriti Mandhana wanted to push the accelerator. However, she lost her wicket while doing that after a solid 45 from 54 balls.

Read Also | Indian batters to score an international ton in all formats: Smriti Mandhana joins an elite list

Post that, Captain Harmanpreet Kaur came out positively and built a solid 81-run partnership with Harleen Deol, who got out after scoring 45 off 65 balls. But Harmanpreet Kaur did not lose the momentum as she built another solid partnership with Jemimah Rodrigues. 

Kaur, who completed her fifty in just 54 balls, had an 110-run partnership with Jemimah Rodrigues. Jemimah perished after an attacking 50 from 45 balls while Harmanpreet Kaur reached her 7th WODI ton in just 82 balls. 

Read Also | Most centuries by Indian cricketers in WODIs: No one is catching Smriti Mandhana

India finished the first inning with 318/5 on the board. Kaur scored 102 of them in just 84 balls. Richa Ghosh played an unbeaten 38-run inning from just 18 balls.

The second inning started really well for India with youngster Kranti Goud cleaning up Tammy Beaumont's stumps in the first over. She then dismissed Amy Jones in her next over, with Deepti Sharma taking a stunning catch at gully.

But after that, England captain Nat Sciver-Brunt and Emma Lamb steadied the ship for the home side. For the third wicket, they piled 162 runs with Lamb scoring 68 off 81 balls before getting out.

However, the turning point of the match was when Deepti Sharma was able to get the big wicket of England captain Nat Sciver-Brunt. Sciver-Brunt was first given not out, but an excellent review by India sent her back to the pavilion after an inning of 98 off 105 balls. 

Post that, it was all about Kranti Goud, who picked up four more wickets to help India win by 15 runs. Goud finished with an excellent bowling figure of 9.5-1-2-6.

At 21 years 345 days, Kranti Gaud is the youngest pace bowler to take 6 or more wickets in a women's ODI innings. The previous youngest was England's Jo Chamberlain, who was 22y 85d when she took 7-8 against Denmark in 1991.

Kaur shared her player of the match award with Goud

From Captain with lots of heart and love ❤️

A special gesture for a special spell 👌👌

Captain @ImHarmanpreet shares her Player of the Match award with Kranti Gaud and presents her with a signed ball & a special message ✍️#TeamIndia | #ENGvIND pic.twitter.com/vRVNlTOBkF

— BCCI Women (@BCCIWomen) July 23, 2025

After the historic series win, captain Harmanpreet Kaur shared her well-deserved Player of the Match Award with Kranti Goud, who was playing only her 4th WODI match. Goud picked up 6 wickets, which was influential for India's victory. 

"Really happy with the way Kranti and all of them bowled, it shows how keen they were to win this match and the series," Harmanpreet Kaur said in the post-match presentation.

"I want to share the Player of the Match award with Kranti because she bowled one of the best spells of her career. The way she executed all the plans, I think she deserves to win the Player of the match award," Kaur said while handing the award to Kranti Goud. 

Harmanpreet Kaur signed the match ball for Goud as well.

Deepti Sharma scored an unbeaten 62 from 64 balls in the first ENGWvsINDW ODI to help India chase 259 with ease in Southampton on Wednesday.

India chased down England's total with four wickets in hand. Along with Deepti Sharma, Jemimah Rodrigues scored an important 48 off 54 for India.

What happened in the match?

India were coming from a historic maiden T20I series win on English soil and as a team looked confident, as the reharshal for the ICC Women's World Cup 2025 continues for them.

India struck early but lost the momentum

Nat Sciver-Brunt won the toss and decided to bat first. Her decision took a back seat when Kranti Goud dismissed Amy Jones (1) in her first and inning's second over. Soon, Tammy Beaumont (5) became Goud's second hunt in the fourth over of the match.

At 20/2, England needed a partnership, and Emma Lamb and captain Nat Sciver-Brunt provided that for them. A 71-run partnership for the third wicket bailed them out.

India did miss their chances as Smriti Mandhana dropped Nat Sciver-Brunt on 34, but soon England lost Emma Lamb on 39. Sneh Rana came to the rescue for India with the wicket.

Rana again struck for India in the next over as Jemimah Rodrigues took a sharp catch at short midwicket. The England captain went back to the dressing room on 41 from 52 balls.

Dunkley and Davidson-Richards add 106 for the fifth wicket

When India were hoping to keep the hosts under 200, Sophia Dunkley and Alice Davidson-Richards' 106-run partnership poured water on that plan.

Both Alice Davidson-Richards (on 16) and Sophia Dunkley (on 23) were dropped by Goud and Jemimah in consecutive overs to help England build that partnership.

Dunkley went on to complete her 6th WODI fifty while Davidson-Richards scored her second WODI fifty. Davidson-Richards was finally outfoxed by Shree Charani on 53 from 73 as she looked to get going with the run rate.

Sophie Ecclestone gave Dunkley a good hand with an unbeaten 23 from 19 balls. Meantime, Dunkley (83 from 92) was bowled in the last ball of the inning as England scored a modest 258/6 in the first inning.

Read Also | Why can't Indian Women's Cricket team win any trophies? Here are the reasons and solutions to that

Strong start from India, but England struck back

During the chase, India got off to a strong start with the bat, thanks to a solid opening partnership between Smriti Mandhana and Pratika Rawal.

However, India lost Mandhana in the 8th over as Amy Jones took a good catch to dismiss her on 28 from 24 balls.

India lost Rawal (36 from 51) in the 19th over, but till then the run rate had reached close to run-a-ball. 

Soon, an inept run from Harleen Deol (27 from 44) put India under more pressure. A casual run out and India her in the 22nd over. Captain Harmanpreet Kaur (17 from 27 balls) also returned to the dressing room after Charlie Dean trapped her in front of the wicket.

Deepti and Jemimah add 90 for the fifth wicket for India

But, a 90-run partnership for the fifth wicket bailed India out of the danger. 

Jemimah played a solid inning of 48 from 54 balls before perishing against Lauren Filer in the 42nd over. With India needing 45 from 51 balls, Deepti remained calm under pressure to take India over the line.

Amanjot Kaur again proved her all-around skill with an unbeaten 20 from 14 balls. 

Kaur hit back-to-back boundaries to seal the match, while Deepti watched from the other end on 62 from 64 balls. 

Deepti Sharma was named player of the match for her excellent inning. India now lead the three-match series 1-0. Not to forget India won the WODI series 3-0 last time on English soil. The second ENGWvsINDW WODI will be played at Lord's on 19th July 2025.

The Indian Women's Cricket team registered their first-ever T20I series win on English soil, after taking an insurmountable lead of 3-1 in the five-match series. In the fourth match of the series, the Women in Blue defeated England by 6 wickets with 18 balls to go to seal the series in Manchester.

Indian spinners set up the game for them. Tammy Beaumont's decision to bat first was struck by the Indian spin trio of Shree Charani, Deepti Sharma and Radha Yadav. England could only reach 126/7 in the first inning, which India chased down easily. 

What happened in the match? 

India were chasing history after winning the first two games of the series. But England, one of the strongest teams in the world, looked in form after winning the last game. 

However, Indian bowlers struck early, and Harmanpreet Kaur's plan to keep rotating the bowlers worked very well. Amanjot Kaur, Shree Charani, Deepti Sharma, and Arundhati Reddy all bowled one over each in the first four overs. 

Shree was able to get the wicket of Danni Wyatt-Hodge (5) in the third over, while Sophia Dunkley (22) was dismissed by Deepti in the final over of the powerplay. 

After the first two wickets, Tammy Beaumont and Alice Capsey tried to build a partnership for England. But once Radha Yadav got rid of the English captain in the 11th over, it was all about India after that. 

Sophie Ecclestone, at the end, added a quick 16 from 10 balls to take England to 126/7 in the first inning. Radha Yadav with 4-15-2 was the pick of the bowlers for India. Shree Charani also picked up two wickets for 30 for the Indian team.

During the chase, Shafali Varma gave India a flying start with her 31 from 19 balls. Although Smriti Mandhana (32) was dismissed soon after that, Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur (26), along with Jemimah Rodrigues, built a 48-run partnership to take India close to the total. 

Eventually India won the match by 6 wickets with 18 balls remaining as Jemimah (24*) hit the winning runs for them. 

Radha Yadav was named the player of the match. 

Why is the ENG-W vs IND-W series win important?

The ENG-1 vs IND-W series was a stage rehearsal for the Indian Women's Cricket team as they will look to win their first-ever T20I World Cup next year in England.

So, the memories of winning their maiden T20 series here would definitely give them confidence when they come back to England next year. 

In a sensational display of all-round brilliance, Mita Paul powered Lux Shyam Kolkata Tigers to a stunning 16-run win (DLS method) over Sobisco Smashers Malda in a rain-affected Bengal Women's Pro T20 League 2025 final match held at the iconic Eden Gardens.

Named Player of the Match, Mita Paul’s performance was nothing short of legendary, blazing an innings of 51 runs off just 52 balls and then slicing through the opposition with the ball, claiming 2 crucial wickets for just 12 runs in a miserly spell of 3 overs. Her heroics not only anchored her team’s innings but also dismantled the Malda batting line-up when it mattered most.

Read Also | Women's Cricket Exclusive: Mita Paul wants to take her game to a new level with a more attacking game plan

Batting first, Lux Shyam Kolkata Tigers were bowled out for 104 in 19.5 overs. Apart from Mita’s knock, Parna Paul chipped in with a useful 14. For the Sobisco Smashers, Jeni Parveen was the pick of the bowlers with 3 for 8, but her efforts fell short in the face of Mita’s dominance.

In reply, Sobisco Smashers Malda collapsed to 22 for 4 in just 5.2 overs, failing to cope with the twin spin threats of Mita Paul and Prativa Mandi (2-0-10-2). None of the Malda batters could reach double digits, underlining the complete dominance of the Tigers’ bowling unit.

Read Also | Bengal Women's Cricket Exclusive: Two out of two finals, record chase against Haryana, Jhulan Goswami, WPL and more

This electrifying win cements Lux Shyam Kolkata Tigers’ reputation as fierce competitors and showcases Mita Paul as a true match-winner, rising to the occasion when it mattered most.

Indian Women's batter Smriti Mandhana became the latest batter to score international centuries in all formats of the game. With her maiden T20I ton against England in Nottingham, Smriti has now become the sixth Indian and the first Indian woman batter to have the achievement. 

Read Also | Top Female Cricketers Who Are Making History

Smriti Mandhana played a sensational 112-run inning from just 62 balls, which included 15 fours and 3 sixes. This is also the highest score by any Indian Women player in T20Is. The previous best was Harmanpreet Kaur's 103 against New Zealand in 2018. 

🚨𝐌𝐚𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐓𝟐𝟎𝐈 𝐭𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐒𝐦𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐚

1️⃣1️⃣2️⃣ Runs
6️⃣2️⃣ Balls

Smriti Mandhana lit up Nottingham with her maiden T20I ton, that too as the captain of the Indian cricket team. #ENGWvINDW #SmritiMandhana pic.twitter.com/WLSQwGi4SV

— Sportz Point (@sportz_point) June 28, 2025

Earlier in the day, Harmanpreet Kaur was ruled out of the first T20I of the series as a precaution taken by the team after she suffered a head injury during the practice game against the ECB Select XI. Sneh Rana handed the debut cap to left-arm spinner N Shree Charani. 

Harleen Kaur also scored a quick-fire 43 from 23 balls, to help India score 210/5 in the first inning. 

Read Also | Most Partnership runs for India in all formats

Indian batters to score an international ton in all formats

Here are the Indian batters who have scored an international ton in all formats

1. Suresh Raina
2. Virat Kohli
3. Rohit Sharma
4. KL Rahul
5. Shubman Gill
6. Smriti Mandhana