England Women vs India Women, 3rd T20I, India Women tour of England 2026 - CommentaryENGW vs INDW, 3rd T20I, India Women tour of England 2026 - Commentary

With less than 10 days to go, the stage is set for a blockbuster tournament. We hope you enjoyed this series as much as we enjoyed bringing it to you. Until next time, it's a goodbye from the team of Raju Peethala, Akshay Maanay and Vinod Kumar. Cheers!!

As for India, they will rue letting advantageous positions slip. Smriti Mandhana’s lack of runs in this series could be a slight concern, but she has a proven track record of stepping up in big tournaments. India will hope this is just a minor blip rather than anything more serious. Nandni Sharma has been the standout performer for them, picking up four wickets in the first two games and showcasing an impressive range of variations with the ball. As Harmanpreet Kaur mentioned at the presentations, the two practice matches ahead of the World Cup could be crucial in fine-tuning those one or two missing pieces in the bowling attack.

The highest successful chase in WT20Is - and with the T20 World Cup just around the corner, England will be absolutely thrilled with the way they fought back in this series. They found themselves in tricky situations in both the second and third T20Is, but less experienced players like Freya Kemp and Alice Capsey stepped up when it mattered most. There has been plenty of talk about Capsey not quite living up to her potential, often throwing it away after a few eye-catching strokes. But today, the 21-year-old produced an innings she will remember for a lifetime. She relied on conventional cricket shots while also showcasing her power down the ground - a blend that would have greatly pleased Charlotte Edwards and the rest of the England camp. The hosts will now feel more confident that they’ve settled on their best XI.

Alice Capsey | Player of the Match & Player of the Series: Yeah, obviously really pleasing to get over the line. And we spoke a lot as a batting unit about kind of chasing those bigger totals. So to get this one over the line was really pleasing. But yeah, it was pretty calm over there with Heather. And she’s a very experienced campaigner now. So it was always nice batting with her. But yeah, it was just hitting through the line of the ball. It was a lovely pitch out there. And just kind of try and stay with the rate. And when it got to that kind of second ten overs, just about finishing the game as quick as possible and not leaving it too late. (On the record chase and her partnership with Heather Knight after England were 38 for 3.) I thought uptop they bowled pretty well. And I think when they’re bowling a length, it’s quite hard to get off of. So just using my feet was a key one for me. Aiming straight. The ball was coming on pretty nicely to bat. So not trying to over-hit it was pretty key. And yeah, just trying to get that boundary earlier. (On counter-attacking after India’s strong start with the ball.) Yeah, I just thought that the pitch was coming on really nicely and I actually didn’t need to manufacture too many things. It felt like kind of aiming straight was a really good option. I kind of watched how some of the Indian batters went about it and they got a lot of value hitting straight. So yeah, it was just about kind of strong shots, not trying to over-hit it, like I said. And I was getting a lot of value from hitting down in the V. So didn’t feel like I really needed to change it. (On favouring straight shots rather than sweeps and improvised strokes.) No, I don’t think I have a favourite. Just batting for England is amazing and being able to contribute and score runs is the main thing. (On whether she prefers batting at the top of the order or at No. 4.)

Charlotte Dean | England stand-in skipper: To be honest, no. The girls took on the power play really well, that’s what we’ve asked them to do. And then, yeah, how brilliant from Caps (Capsey) and Heather there, a brilliant partnership, and got us to a record chase. (On whether England were nervous at 38 for 3 during the chase.) Yeah, I think those are the standards that we want to set for ourselves as well. You know, the girls were phenomenal today, keeping the energy throughout. India, you know, they hit lots of boundaries, so it can be hard to keep yourself up when you’re leaking runs on occasion, but for our fielding performance to do a lot of talking is all we can ask for. (On England’s fielding performance and energy levels.) Yeah, I’m really enjoying bowling at the moment. Obviously, maybe it was a bit more expensive today, but yeah, I feel like I’ve got plans, a few different plans as well, which is quite exciting. And I feel like it’s coming out of the hand quite nicely. (On her own bowling form and confidence.) I think I’ve learned a huge deal about myself, you know. Probably a bit of a daunting challenge, but I’ve really enjoyed it actually. And the girls have supported me so well. And yeah, I feel like in a stronger place within myself and also my cricket. (On what she has learned while captaining the side in Nat Sciver-Brunt’s absence.) Yeah, massively. I think probably previous to this, I would have been a bit nervous, but yeah, I think should the worst happen, which hopefully it won’t, Nat’s ready to get back with us soon. But yeah, I think hopefully just take on and yeah, it will be a bit smoother of a transition. (On whether the captaincy stint has increased her confidence if she needs to lead again.) Yeah, it was brilliant. The way that they picked their moments as well and picked their bowlers, you know, there was so much calmness that we didn’t have doubt for a second in that dugout. And the girls who were going to come in as well, they felt like, you know, it was set up perfectly for them. (On the match-winning partnership between Alice Capsey and Heather Knight.)

Harmanpreet Kaur | India skipper: I think for us it was only a matter of getting one more wicket. I think we were in the game. We got three early wickets and we were just thinking about one more wicket, but I think because they both played really well, they took the game away from us. (On where the game slipped away despite making early inroads.) Yeah, definitely. I think a lot of positives, except for, you know, that wicket which we were looking for. I think a lot of positives are going forward for the World Cup. (On the positives from the performance ahead of the World Cup.) Yeah, definitely. I think we are pretty much clear and still we have two more games, practice games before the World Cup where, you know, still we can think about the other combinations. Like Radha is there, She did really well in WPL and she is also, feels like ready. And apart from her, I think, Bharti Fulmal is also there. She is a middle order batter. She also batted really well. I think still we have two very good players who are sitting out and hopefully we will give them a fair chance in the practice games where we can see how they go about. And I think still I feel we are pretty much clear, like what is our XI going to be going forward. (On team combinations and selection plans ahead of the World Cup.) Yeah, definitely. I think the idea behind coming here early to get used to these conditions and I think we are pretty much, you know, getting used to these conditions and hopefully we will get our, you know, whatever we need from these conditions. (On arriving early and adapting to local conditions before the tournament.)

This is England Women’s seventh T20I bilateral series (2+ matches) win against India Women in eight series; their only H2H series loss was last year, when India won 3-2.

This is England Women’s ninth win in 12 T20Is at Taunton, including all three against India.

Highest stands for 4th wkt or below for ENG-W in T20Is
139 - Heather Knight & D Wyatt-Hodge vs AUS-W, 2017
137 - Heather Knight & Alice Capsey vs IND-W, 2026*
115 - Heather Knight & Fran Wilson vs AUS-W, 2020

Highest target successfully chased in WT20Is
213 - WI vs AUS, North Sydney, 2023
199 - ENG vs IND, Brabourne, 2018
193 - SA vs IND, Jo’burg, 2026
181 - SA vs PAK, Potchefstroom, 2026
181 - ENG vs IND, Taunton, 2026*

This is also the highest successful chase on English soil in WT20Is. The previous highest was 168 runs by ENG against IND at Edgbaston in 2025.

Highest partnership for ENG-W vs IND-W in T20Is (any wkts)
138 - Nat Sciver-Brunt & D Wyatt, Wankhede, 2023
137 - Sophia Dunkley & D Wyatt, The Oval, 2025
137 - Alice Capsey & Heather Knight, Taunton, 2026*
113* - C Edwards & Sarah Taylor, Taunton, 2009
112 - Nat Sciver-Brunt & D Wyatt, Chelmsford, 2021

Highest scores for ENG-W vs IND-W in T20Is
124 (64) - D Wyatt-Hodge, Brabourne, 2018
89* (56) - D Wyatt-Hodge, Chelmsford, 2021
82 (43) - Alice Capsey, Taunton, 2026*
77 (53) - Nat Sciver-Brunt, Wankhede, 2023

21:29 local, 20:29 GMT, 01:59 IST: 180 always looked just above par on this surface. When England lost three wickets inside the powerplay, it seemed like chasing 180 would be an uphill task. Alice Capsey has been part of this setup for a while, but until now, she hadn’t quite done enough to silence her critics or fully repay the selectors’ faith. She got a few full deliveries early in her innings, capitalised on them, and never looked back. After a couple off the middle, Capsey tore into the bowling attack with her power-packed strokeplay. Heather Knight joined the charge as the duo built a match-winning partnership. Knight started cautiously, but with no real pressure from the required rate, she soon found her rhythm, playing some clever sweeps and laps - and went on to register her fastest T20I fifty. All in all, it was a comprehensive win for England, one that will keep them in high spirits heading into the World Cup opener in 10 days’ time. Stick around for the post-match reactions...

Arundhati Reddy to Alice Capsey, THATS OUT!! Caught!!