India cruise to 8-wicket win

India 216 for 2 (Raj 65*, Chopra 40*) beat England 215 for 7 (Edwards 66, Al Khader 3-46) by 8 wickets
Scorecard

India made short work of England's total of 215 for 7 in the third one-dayer at Guwahati, cruising to victory by 8 wickets to take a 2-1 lead in the five-match series. Karu Jain starred with 64 at the top of the innings, and Mithali Raj ended unbeaten on 65 to take the home side through to a comprehensive win. Anjum Chopra also continued her good form, partnering Raj in a stand worth 68.

The home side were assisted in their run chase with a disappointing bowling performance by England: only Charlotte Edwards, the captain, could apply the brakes to the rampant Indians, conceding 43 from her ten overs.

It was Edwards who led from the front, again, when England won the toss and chose to bat. Together with Laura Newton, the pair put on 102 for the first wicket - but when Newton fell, bowled by Reema Malhotra's legbreak, the doors were swung wide open; one became two, two became three and, but for some plucky lower-order boundaries from Beth Morgan and Nicki Shaw, the innings subsided quickly. On what was a flat pitch, their eventual total of 215 - albeit their highest of the tour so far - was a little less than they anticipated, a sentiment Richard Bates, England's coach, agreed with.

"Yes, the pitch was flatter than we expected - certainly flatter than in previous games," he told Cricinfo today. "In hindsight, I suppose we were 20 or so short - but even if we had managed another 20 runs, I don't think that bowling performance merited a victory."

Injury scares further limited England's options. "It wasn't the balance we were looking for; only 12 players were at the ground, so we were forced into selection," Bates said. "That's no excuse, though. We didn't bowl very well today and we weren't able to put any pressure on the batsmen."

India's run chase got off to a rollicking start - "we simply didn't put the ball in the right areas. They got away from us and got the runs with ease" Bates added - with Jain, who deservedly won the Player-of-the-Match award, smiting ten fours in her 88-ball innings. Despite Arran Brindle dismissing Jain, and Watts removing the wicketkeeper Jaya Sharma, India weren't troubled in the slightest, coasting to 216 with more than 9 overs to spare.