India’s build-up to the 2026 Women’s T20 World Cup began with a tidy, if occasionally scruffy, 26-run victory against West Indies in Cardiff. Bharti Fulmali finished unbeaten on 56, Shreyanka Patil snatched 4 for 36, and Radha Yadav’s left-arm spin chipped in with 3 for 25 as the bowlers defended 179 for 8 with something to spare.
“Nothing flash, just stuck to my areas,” Patil said on the outfield afterwards. “The surface gave a bit of grip so I kept it simple.”
Key facts first, then the story. Smriti Mandhana, standing in for the rested Harmanpreet Kaur, cracked 39 at the top, sharing 59 in 5.2 overs with Shafali Verma (29 off 13). Once Aaliyah Alleyne removed Mandhana and off-spinner Karishma Ramharack accounted for Verma, India wobbled at 71 for 2. Afy Fletcher’s leg-spin turned that into 85 for 3; she would end with an impressive 4 for 23.
The wobble never became a collapse because Fulmali and Yastika Bhatia (36) put on 60 in seven busy overs. Six fours apiece kept the rate up, Fulmali adding one straight six to push India beyond 170. “We talked about staying positive, not reckless,” Bhatia noted on the team livestream.
West Indies replied brightly. Deandra Dottin, fit again and happily thumping anything short, struck 49 from 44 balls, while Shemaine Campbelle’s run-a-ball 25 helped raise 63 for the first wicket. When Campbelle retired out — a warm-up quirk rather than an injury — momentum stalled. Patil targeted the stumps, Radha attacked the pads, and eight overs produced just 46 runs for five wickets.
Coach Amol Muzumdar, looking relaxed rather than ecstatic, called it “a decent first hit-out. We’re clear there’s rust to shake off, but the basics were sound.” He pointed to Fulmali’s tempo and Patil’s control as pleasing signs.
For West Indies, there were still crumbs of comfort. Fletcher’s four-for underlined her value, and Dottin’s timing never seemed far away. “We were right in it at halfway,” captain Hayley Matthews said. “A couple of set batters cash in and that chase is well within reach.”
In truth, India always had the extra gear. A warm-up is exactly that, so neither side will read too much, yet both will have scribbled a few notes: India ticked boxes; West Indies found a couple of theirs still blank. The next practice match, in Bristol, arrives quickly — another chance to fine-tune before the real thing kicks off.
