Women's Tri-Series: Ton-up Danielle Wyatt puts India on the mat

England opening batswoman Danielle Wyatt celebrates her century against India in a T20I tri-series match at the Brabourne Stadium yesterday. Pic/Shadab Khan

The Indian women's team ended up losing to England yesterday despite producing their best-ever T20I batting performance. India packed a punch is what one would have thought, after they posting 198-4 in 20 overs - the second highest total in T20Is. However, on a placid Brabourne Stadium track, the England batters, led by Danielle Wyatt's 64-ball 124 (15x4, 5x6) delivered the knockout punch, inflicting a seven-wicket win on the hosts with eight balls left.

While England registered their second consecutive win of the T20I tri-series, it was India's second back-to-back loss that has virtually put the hosts out of contention from a spot in the final.

Wyatt is perhaps the most followed England women's cricketer in India after she shot to fame overnight with her marriage proposal to India skipper Virat Kohli over Twitter in 2014. Post that proposal, she even got a bat as a gift from Kohli. And though she is carrying that 'precious' bat for the ongoing T20I tri-series here, yesterday's knock came off another willow.

In fact, such was the coincidence that while Wyatt and England skipper Heather Knight were addressing the post-match press conference, one of Kohli's IPL knocks were being telecast on the large LED TV in the Cricket Club of India's Cooch Behar Room.

Wyatt said this knock was special."I think this one was the most special because my dad (Steve) was watching it from the stands. It was indeed. I've been working really hard with Ali Maiden our batting coach. Basically, just head straighter and a few things up here (in the mind). It seems to have been working off," she said.

Earlier, India had a 129-run opening stand as Mithali Raj (53) and Smriti Mandhana (76) began brilliantly. Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur (22-ball 30) and Pooja Vastrakar's late onslaught 10-ball 22 saw the hosts nearly hit the 200-mark. But except for veteran Jhulan Goswami's 1-32 in 3.4 overs, the other five bowlers were taken to cleaners by Wyatt and Tamsin Beaumont (35 off 23).

Kaur said India's bowling department needed improvement. "We need to work on our bowling. We know it's a batting wicket, so only if we bowl well can we win the game, because if we don't bowl well, then they also have a good batting line up," she said.

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