Cardiff, June 8 — India beat the West Indies by 26 runs in their first warm-up match for the Women’s T20 World Cup, powered by an unbeaten 56 from Bharti Fulmali and incisive bowling from Shreyanka Patil and Radha Yadav. Batting first, India posted 179 for eight, and then restricted the West Indies to 153 for eight as Deandra Dottin’s 49 proved insufficient.
Fulmali’s 56 not out off 40 balls anchored a scrambling Indian innings in which six batters finished in single digits; Richa Ghosh was out first ball and Jemimah Rodrigues managed seven off seven. Openers Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma gave India a brisk platform, adding 59 in the powerplay — Mandhana 39 off 23 (eight fours) and Shafali 29 off 13 (five fours). Yastika Bhatia’s retirement out for 36 after 26 balls raised a few eyebrows amid the middle-order instability.
West Indies began their chase brightly as Deandra Dottin struck eight fours in a 44-ball 49 and Shemaine Campbelle added 25, the pair taking the visitors to 81 for two in the 11th over. India’s bowlers then seized control, producing a mid-innings collapse that saw the Caribbean side slump to 153 for eight. Shreyanka returned figures of 4-0-36-4 and Radha took 4-0-25-3; Afy Fletcher was the Windies’ best bowler with 4 for 23. India used just six bowling options in the match.
The win gives India a morale-boosting outing ahead of a final warm-up against hosts England — whom India lost to 1-2 in a recent bilateral T20I series — before their T20 World Cup opener against Pakistan on June 14 in Birmingham.
Back home in New Delhi, concerns persist over India’s balance and recent form despite the Cardiff victory. Former captain Shantha Rangaswamy warned that the team’s main issues lie with the bowling and the lack of depth in pace options, exacerbated by injuries to all-rounders Kashvee Gautam and Amanjot Kaur. “The team has not done well of late but they continue to have a positive body language. I am backing them to go all the way. Having said that, our bowling is not as good as our batting and fielding. We were always known for a good bowling attack. We can’t say that now,” she said.
Shantha also urged clarity in roles, flagging Harmanpreet Kaur’s middle-order batting as crucial — especially if this is the 37-year-old captain’s last World Cup. “I am a fan of Harmanpreet the batter. She remains as fit as ever. However, I always wanted her to focus more on her batting rather than captaincy. If she can find her rhythm, it makes the job much easier for others,” she added.
Original Source: https://theshillongtimes.com/2026/06/09/india-beat-wi-in-womens-t20-wc-warm-up/
Category: SPORTS
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Publish Date: 2026-06-09 02:23:00
