Mithali Raj's fighting 72 goes in vain as India eves lose first ODI to England

Tammy Beaumont (left) and Nat Sciver celebrate England’s victory over India at Bristol yesterday. Pic/Getty Images

Skipper Mithali Raj's fighting half-century went in vain as England rode on Tammy Beaumont and Nat Sciver's aggressive unbeaten fifties to beat a below-par India by eight wickets in the first ODI of the three-match series here on Sunday.

Mithali led from the front with a patient 72 to guide India to a modest 201-8 after being put in to bat. Mithali held India's innings together following two early dismissals. She shared two crucial partnerships - 56 runs with Punam Raut (32) and 65 with Deepti Sharma (30) - to help India go past the 200-run mark.

Mithali Raj. Pic/Satej Shinde

But England cantered home with 91 balls to spare, thanks to opener Beaumont (87 not out off 87 balls) and Sciver's (74 off 74) unbroken 119-run third-wicket partnership that came off just 19 overs.

England lost Lauren Windfield-Hill (16) early in their chase but Beaumont and skipper Heather Knight (18) shared 59 runs for the second wicket to get the hosts back on track. Earlier, India's start was far from impressive as the visitors lost both the openers cheaply.

Touted as the next big thing in Indian women's cricket, teen sensation Shafali Verma's much-anticipated ODI debut lasted just 14 balls from which she scored 15 runs with the help of three fours.

Shafali, who became the youngest Indian cricketer to make debut across formats on Sunday, perished in search of too many big shots when she miscued a Katherine Brunt (2-35) delivery to Anya Shrubsole at mid-on in the fifth over.

Also Read: Sourav Ganguly on Test debut ton: Sachin said, 'Relax, have your cup of tea'

Brief scores
India 201-8 in 50 overs (M Raj 72, P Raut 32, D Sharma 30; S Ecclestone 3-40, A Shrubsole 2-33, K Brunt 2-35) lost to England 202-2 in 34.5 overs (T Beaumont 87', N Sciver 74') by eight wickets

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