Mandhana stars as India inflict record loss on England

First T20, Trent Bridge

India 210-5 (20 overs): Mandhana 112 (62), Deol 43 (23); Bell 3-27

England 113 all out (14.5 overs): Sciver-Brunt 66 (42); Charani 4-12

India won by 97 runs

Scorecard

Smriti Mandhana scored a stunning century as India inflicted England's heaviest T20 defeat by runs with a comprehensive 97-run triumph at Trent Bridge.

The opener blitzed 112 from 62 balls for her maiden T20 international hundred as India posted 210-5 on a flat surface in the series opener.

It was the second-highest total England have conceded in the format and they had no answer to the class of Mandhana, who struck 15 fours and three sixes in a remarkable innings.

The 28-year-old left-hander put England under pressure from the off and, with number three Harleen Deol contributing a rapid 43 from 23 balls, helped India post their second-highest T20I total.

It was a stark reminder of the work England still have to do following the encouraging T20 and one-day international series sweeps of the West Indies to kick-off the new era under coach Charlotte Edwards.

That feeling was only amplified as the home side lost four wickets in the first seven overs of the chase, captain Nat Sciver-Brunt providing the only resistance.

The game was long gone by the time Sciver-Brunt was eventually dismissed for 66 off 42 balls as England slumped to 113 all out with India left-arm spinner Shree Charani taking 4-12 on debut.

A five-match series gives England plenty of time to try and put things right but there is plenty to be addressed before Tuesday's second T20 at Bristol.

England's heaviest T20I defeats by runs

• 97 runs v India, Nottingham, 2025

• 93 runs v Australia, Chelmsford 2019

• 72 runs v Australia, Adelaide 2025

• 57 runs v Australia, Brabourne 2018

• 57 runs v Australia, Sydney 2025

A Mandhana masterclass

It was clear Mandhana was in the mood from the moment she effortlessly sent her first ball back down the ground for four.

She had added two more boundaries before top-edging a pull shot off Em Arlott in the second over.

The ball looped into the leg side but landed safely as Alice Capsey misjudged it, took her eye off the ball assuming it was going well over her head, only for it to drop just past her left shoulder onto the turf.

By the next time Mandhana offered England a chance, she had reached three figures.

After a productive powerplay, the India star then welcomed Sophie Ecclestone back to international cricket by slog-sweeping the left-arm spinner's first ball into the stands for six.

Another followed three balls later as 19 came from the over and while Ecclestone eventually dismissed Mandhana in the last over of the innings, there was no suggestion of the England bowler - who finished with figures of 1-43 from three overs - having the last laugh.

In between, Mandhana continued to play a knock of the very highest order. Her strike-rate was 180 but there was no slogging, just a succession of classical cricket shots executed to near-perfection.

Sumptuous drives both down the ground and through the covers, masterful sweeps and some crunching pull shots - whatever England threw at her, Mandhana had the answer.

A false shot percentage of only 10% does not necessarily mean the other 90% came slap bang out of the middle of the bat but it felt that way as ball after ball raced towards the boundary.

It came as something of a shock when she was caught with four balls left in the innings, having scored a run fewer than England's XI managed combined, but the damage had been done.

Just one game into the series and the world's leading batter has made her mark.

Back to reality for England

Following a chastening Ashes defeat by Australia over the winter, England's comfortable series wins over the West Indies were exactly what was needed to bring back some positivity back at the start of a new regime.

All the talk from England was that tougher challenges would come. Well, the first of them has just arrived.

A misfield from Ecclestone to allow a single off the first ball of the match set the tone for a sub-par fielding effort in which they gave Mandhana a costly early let off and Danni Wyatt-Hodge dropped a fairly straightforward at deep mid-wicket to give Deol a life on 26.

With India taking the game to England, the hosts offered little by way of response.

The bowlers, both seam and spin, were leaking runs while offering next to no wicket-taking threat. A less than ideal combination.

Across the innings, only 18 balls bowled by England would have hit the stumps - that's just 14.5% - and just four of those deliveries came from the seamers.

There is some mitigation in the fact they attempted to bowl wide yorkers for a time in the second part of India's innings but given former England seamer Katherine Sciver-Brunt told BBC Test Match Special that she'd expect between 60 and 70% of balls to be hitting the stumps in a T20, 14.5% is remarkably low.

Attempting the second-highest chase in women's T20I history was always going to be a challenge but it is the manner of England's collapse that may concern them.

Eight of the 10 wickets fell to spin. An all too familiar failing for this side.

Since the start of 2023, England's batters average 18.4 against spin in T20Is against India and Australia, only Pakistan (13.2) and Bangladesh (11.6) average less.

With a 50-over World Cup in India and Sri Lanka to come this autumn, it is a problem that needs to be addressed with some urgency.

The nature of T20 cricket means that England could quite easily hit back with an equally convincing win in the second T20.

But, with a stated aim to challenge Australia and become the best team in the world, Edwards and co will know that such goals will not be achieved overnight - this result was proof of that.

'Small moments can change the game' - what they said

England captain Nat Sciver-Brunt talking to BBC Test Match Special: "India are such a good side and when you give a few chances to one of the best batters in the world, it's very difficult to stop.

"You're not going to win every game so you have to take the learnings, the things we did well and the things we want to improve on.

"Small moments can change the game. T20 can change so quickly, a catch taken and things can be turned around.

"The message will to not be too disheartened and keep doing the things we've done well for a long period of time."

India captain and player of the match Smriti Mandhana: "Me and one of my team-mates talked before the tour and said it was time I got a century. I'm happy it came in the first match.

"It's just the start. We need to keep this momentum going and get into good habits."