India Stuns England with Smriti Mandhana's Historic Century and Debutant Charani's Fiery Spell

Stand-in captain Smriti Mandhana played a sensational innings, scoring a historic century, while debutant spinner Shree Charani delivered a fiery spell, guiding India to a resounding 97-run victory against England in the first T20I at Nottingham. This triumph gives India a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.

England, choosing to bowl first, could not curb the onslaught of Mandhana and Shafali Verma, who set the tone with a thrilling 77-run opening stand. India cruised past the 100-run mark thanks to Mandhana's fireworks, reaching 210/5 in their allotted overs, with Lauren Bell making late inroads into the Indian batting lineup.

India's innings was marked by Mandhana's 112 off 62 balls, a remarkable feat making her India's first-ever all-format centurion in women's cricket. In their chase, despite a 49-run partnership between Nat Sciver-Brunt and Tammy Beaumont, England fell for 113, undone by Charani's 4/12 and Radha Yadav's 2/15. This marks England's heaviest defeat by runs in women's T20Is.

(With inputs from agencies.)