Jemimah Rodrigues and Yastika Bhatia struck fluent half-centuries before debutant pacer Nandani Sharma starred with the ball as an experimental India defeated England by 38 runs to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match women’s T20I series in Chelmsford, U.K.

Playing without regular captain Harmanpreet Kaur, India recovered from a disastrous start to post 188 for seven and then restricted England to 150 for eight at the County Ground in Chelmsford on Thursday.

This is India’s final series before next month’s T20 World Cup that begins on June 12.

Stand-in skipper Smriti Mandhana got out for a golden duck, while her opening partner Shafali Verma capped a forgettable three-ball two with Lauren Bell (3/34) giving a fiery start to England after they opted to bowl.

But Rodrigues made 69 off 40 balls (1×6, 10x4s) and Yastika marked her return to the format after two years with a brisk 54 off 40 deliveries, her maiden T20I fifty. She smashed nine fours and one six.

Yastika and Rodrigues counter-attacked brilliantly, stitching together a 126-run stand for the third wicket off just 76 balls to turn the innings around.

Yastika, returning after knee surgery and playing her first T20I since April 2024, raced to her fifty in 31 balls with nine fours and a six.

Rodrigues was equally aggressive, striking 10 boundaries and a six while bringing up her half-century off 31 deliveries.

England’s sloppy fielding compounded their problems before Charlie Dean provided some relief by effecting Yastika’s run out and then dismissing Rodrigues in the same over.

India briefly lost momentum as Richa Ghosh and Bharti Fulmali fell cheaply, but Deepti Sharma’s unbeaten 22 off 13 balls and Arundhati Reddy’s late cameo ensured a strong finish.

In reply, England never quite recovered after losing Sophia Dunkley (16) and Alice Capsey (6) inside four overs.

Amy Jones kept the chase alive with a fighting 67 off 48 balls, sharing a 64-run stand with Heather Knight (21).

During her knock, Knight became England Women’s most-capped player across formats with 310 appearances, overtaking Charlotte Edwards.

However, debutant Nandani turned the game decisively in India’s favour.

The 24-year-old pacer scalped Jones in the 16th over before removing Dani Gibson off the next ball and then dismissing Wong to finish with impressive figures of 3/34.

Kranti Gaud claimed two wickets, while Shree Charani and Deepti chipped in with one wicket apiece as England fell well short of the target.

“A lot of credit to Yastika. She took the load off me, and that partnership was crucial. We assessed the conditions well,” player-of-the-match Rodrigues said after the game.

“Playing square of the wicket helped. My game is more about picking gaps. I trust my instincts and play my game. I enjoy fielding. Today, felt like a yo-yo session. I love fielding in the hot spots.”

The three-match series assumes significance for India as they look to finalise combinations ahead of the T20 World Cup. India open their campaign against Pakistan on June 14.

Brief Scores:

India: 188 for 7 in 20 overs (Jemimah Rodrigues 69, Yastika Bhatia 54; Lauren Bell 3/34) beat England 150/; 20 overs (Amy Jones 67, Heather Knight 21; Nandani Sharma 3/34, Kranti Gaud 2/24) by 38 runs.