Jhulan Goswami wreaked havoc as Indian eves beat England by 14 runs in a low-scoring second ODI in Taunton on Wednesday to take 2-0 lead in the five-match series.
Chasing a meagre target of 130, Goswami grabbed four for 17 in only 8.2 overs to bowl England out for only 115 as Women in Blue have a chance of clinching the series in the next match.
After opting to field, English women reduced their Indian counterparts to 71 for nine before Amita Sharma (42, 87 balls, 2x4) and No 11 batsman Gouher Sultana (22, 53 balls, 1x4) added 58 runs for the 10th wicket which proved to be decisive in the end. The duo took the score to 129 in 47.5 overs and more importantly gave a chance to their bowlers to fight back.
Goswami, whose form has been under scanner for quite some time, accounted for Charlotte Edwards (0) and Sarah Taylor in her first spell to lead the fight back.
She was ably complemented by left-arm spinner Sultana who also bowled well in the middle overs to snare a couple of important wickets after his valuable contribution with the bat. Leggie Veda Krishnamurthy also got a couple of wickets as England were down in the dumps at 89 for nine.
But Danielle Wyatt and Georgia Elwiss raised visions of an improbable England win before Jhulan cleaned up Elwiss to seal the issue.
Brief scores: India 129 in 47.5 overs (Amita Sharma 42, K Brunt 4-20) vs England 115 in 47.2 overs (J Goswami 4-17).
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