It was a cool, bright afternoon in Chester-le-Street and India, one-all in the three-match series, knew a statement was due. They delivered: 318 for 5, followed by England dismissed for 305 with a single ball unused. A 13-run margin flatters England; the match never quite felt that close.
India’s charge began slowly, almost nervously. Harmanpreet Kaur needed ten balls to tick her score over from 0. “The first [ten] balls, I didn’t get any runs but then I was just talking to myself: ‘I’m not going to lose myself, just be there, be there for the team’.” Ball 11, a fluid cover-drive off Linsey Smith, released the pressure and, frankly, England never regained it.
From that point Harmanpreet rattled up 102 from her next 74 deliveries, reaching three figures in 82 balls – the second-fastest by an Indian woman, behind only Smriti Mandhana’s 70-ball effort against Ireland. In passing she crossed 4000 ODI runs, another club badge for the shirt in a career already stacked with them.
The captain was hardly alone. Mandhana’s brisk 45 set the tone, Jemimah Rodrigues added a calm 50 in a 110-run stand with Harmanpreet, and Harleen Deol matched Mandhana’s 45. Richa Ghosh then sprinted to 38 from 18, leaving England to chase a record that always looked out of reach.
England’s answer began poorly at 8 for 2, yet Nat Sciver-Brunt (94) and Emma Lamb (88) produced a tidy counter of 162. For a moment, 319 felt possible. That illusion vanished once Kranti Goud, playing only her fifth ODI, found late movement and the courage to pitch it up. She finished with 6 for 52 – second-youngest Indian after Deepti Sharma to claim a women’s ODI five-for.
“She’s been really impressing whenever she was on the field and bowling for the team,” Harmanpreet said, smiling as her young seamer collected the match-ball. “I’m really happy the kind of bowling she did today and whenever we needed a breakthrough, she was there for the team.” Goud’s double strike inside the powerplay, and two more inside the last ten overs, were decisive.
England, even in defeat, can pick positives. Sciver-Brunt’s tempo remained intact, Lamb covered the off side sweetly, and young Alice Capsey swung freely for 35 that kept the required rate vaguely honest. Yet from 265 for 4 with six overs left they still faltered, a reminder that chasing 300-plus is only partly about strike-rates.
For India this was their second-highest women’s ODI total in England (behind 333 for 5 at Canterbury two summers ago) and the fifth time they have topped 300 in 2025 alone. The batting depth is clear; the discipline with the ball, Goud aside, still has room to grow. Allowing a side to climb from 8 for 2 to 170 for 2 will be filed under “needs tightening” before the home World Cup.
Harmanpreet accepted as much: “In all the matches I wanted to give my best in batting but today’s game was very important to us… The plan was to spend some time on the wicket and then see how things go. That really worked for me.” The same logic, you sense, will guide her bowlers: find rhythm early, then adjust.
Australia loom in a three-match series next month – the final dress rehearsal for a World Cup India feel they can win, but only if batting and bowling sync on the same day. Beating England in England is a decent marker; passing Australia remains the benchmark Harmanpreet is keen to, in her words, “pass”. The road to the World Cup is short. Performances like this one make the journey look achievable, yet far from guaranteed – which is exactly how sport should feel.
