England Women vs India Women: Nat Sciver-Brunt taking positives into second T20I despite heavy opening defeat
England suffered their biggest T20I loss against India by 97 runs; India's stand-in captain Smriti Mandhana (112) hit maiden ton; Nat Sciver-Brunt top-scored with 66; watch England's second T20I live on Sky Sports Cricket on Tuesday July 1 from 6.30pm in Bristol
Tuesday 1 July 2025 18:00, UK
England captain Nat Sciver-Brunt says she is taking the positives into the second T20I against India after a humbling opening defeat to the tourists.
England suffered their biggest T20I loss against India at Trent Bridge on Saturday, losing by 97 runs.
They made a mistake from the first ball with a misfield from Sophie Ecclestone, who was making a return from international cricket after taking a break to "prioritise her mental wellbeing", which gifted India their first run.
The mistakes continued with Alice Capsey misjudging a catch off India's centurion Smriti Mandhana (112) and dropping Amanjot Kaur (3no) and Danni Wyatt-Hodge unable to take Harleen Deol (43) at deep midwicket, as well as England fumbling stops on the boundary rope and gifting India runs.
Further woe came on Sunday, when England were fined 10 per cent of their match fee for maintaining a slow over-rate.
England take on India in the second T20I at Bristol on Tuesday, live on Sky Sports Cricket from 6pm with the first ball at 6.30pm.
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"India are a world-class side and challenged us greatly [on Saturday]," said Sciver-Brunt, who top-scored with 66 on Saturday.
"We probably didn't bowl as well as we wanted to and didn't quite back it up in the field as we did against West Indies [earlier in the summer].
"You like to take every catch but that didn't happen so that is something for us to work on.
"We executed well with the ball at times, and gained a lot of energy towards the end of the innings. There are things we can take from this match.
"The pitch perhaps slowed up a bit, but when you are chasing 200, you have to keep going as a batting side.
"Losing early wickets got us behind in the game. We probably looked to play a little bit too square and gave them a few chances.
"I guess for me it was trying to get on strike, come back for twos and still make sure I am hitting a boundary every over."
Sky Sports' Lauren Winfield-Hill, meanwhile, said England "lost control" in the first match.
"England didn't get their bowling matchups right," she said on Sky Sports Cricket. "Bell bowled and went at five an over, and we didn't see her until the death.
"It felt like she was the one who could have come into the game earlier and removed Mandhana, especially with Harmanpreet Kaur [India's captain who was rested after a head injury] out of the middle order.
"There was a real effort there from India, if England got a few early wickets, they could have been in the driving seat, but the tempo wasn't really set by England.
"There were a lot of dropped catches and a misfield in the first over. It was a bit sloppy from England.
"Tempo is so important in T20 cricket, how you set the tone is enormous, and England never really got hold of the game."
England came into the India series after securing clean sweeps against the West Indies in a three-match ODI and T20I series earlier in the summer but were bowled out by India for 113 as their troubles against spin continued.
"England got the reading of the game wrong, this is a quick ground with a big breeze and there was just never that adjustment from them," added Sky Sports' Mel Jones.
"England, as an international side, catching and fielding should be their bread and butter.
"They are the second-ranked team in the world, they have played in World Cup finals, but they missed the boat there."
While Sciver-Brunt top-scored with 66, seven of her team-mates - Sophia Dunkley (7), Wyatt-Hodge (0), Amy Jones (1), Alice Capsey (5), Sophie Ecclestone (1), Lauren Filer (2), Lauren Bell (2) - were out in single figures.
England vs India fixtures
All time UK and Ireland; all live on Sky Sports
T20 international series
- First T20, Trent Bridge: India beat England by 97 runs
- Second T20: Tuesday July 1 (6.30pm) - Bristol
- Third T20: Friday July 4 (6.35pm) - The Kia Oval
- Fourth T20: Wednesday July 9 (6.30pm) - Emirates Old Trafford
- Fifth T20: Saturday July 12 (6.35pm) - Edgbaston
One-day international series
- First ODI: Wednesday July 16 (1pm) - Southampton
- Second ODI: Saturday July 19 (11am) - Lord's
- Third ODI: Tuesday July 22 (1pm) - Chester-le-Street
Watch England's second T20I against India live on Sky Sports Cricket from Tuesday, July 1, with live coverage from 6pm ahead of the first ball at 6.30pm in Bristol.