Indian bowlers the bright spot in T20I series defeat to England

Young spinners Patil and Ishaque looked the real deal on slow tracks at Wankhede

- Aditya Chaturvedi

With a new coaching staff and many fresh faces in the squad, the Indian women's cricket team returned to action after two and a half months against a formidable England. It was never going to be a smooth ride and Harmanpreet Kaur's side conceded the series after losing the first two T20Is. But with a much-improved show that helped win the third game, they gained some assurance in the buildup for next year's T20 World Cup in Bangladesh.

If the first game of the series saw India's forgettable bowling and fielding performances, the second witnessed a major batting collapse. India's players were expected to be rusty but the manner of the defeats, that too on home soil, raised concerns. At that point it seemed that Amol Muzumdar's stint as head coach would begin with a whimper.

However, things clicked in the third T20I as India's bowlers restricted England to a below-par total and the batters showed composure to close out the chase. It was a dead rubber, but the hosts approached it with determination, earning a morale-boosting win.

"The first two matches didn't go the way we wanted them to. We knew we didn't have to play this game as if we had lost the series.

We have a long tour coming up and this win was important heading into the Test," said vice-captain Smriti Mandhana.

In terms of positives, the performances of seamer Renuka Singh and spinners Saika Ishaque and Shreyanka Patil stood out.