Bristol, May 30 (IANS) England won the toss and elected to bat first in the second women’s T20I against India on Saturday, with skipper Harmanpreet Kaur and off-spin bowling all-rounder Shreyanka Patil returning to boost the visitors’ line‑up.

India are leading the three-game series 1-0 after winning the series opener by 38 runs in Chelmsford. Harmanpreet, who missed the clash due to a calf niggle, replaces Bharti Fulmali, while Shreyanka comes in place of Kranti Gaud.

“We were looking to bat too, but I think the pitch looks drier and we have added one more spinner today (in Shreyanka). So hopefully, we’ll try to stop them on a decent total so that we can chase it easier. Both batting and bowling (were enjoyable in the first game), because the way we batted really set the tone for us. Hopefully, we’ll continue that approach while batting.

“The bowling is also something, we always talk about taking wickets in the powerplay and then keep putting pressure on the batters. I think our bowlers did a really great job, and a great contribution by the fielders. So hopefully we’ll play a similar kind of cricket today also.

“The way Jemimah and Yastika batted, it was very good to see them taking the responsibility and using the Power-play. Hopefully, today we’ll also go with the same approach. Yes, definitely. I think we are all looking quite positive and trying to do whatever the team demands from us. Hopefully, we’ll keep enjoying and keep giving our best whenever we are playing,” she said.

Stand-in England captain Charlie Dean said veteran opener Danny Wyatt-Hodge is back from maternity leave, while left-arm spinner Linsey Smith also returns, with Issy Wong and Tilly Corteen-Coleman omitted from the playing eleven.

“Feels like a good day to get out there as a team, and it looks like a bit of a belter, so ready to get going. There were lots of positives from that game. Obviously, (losing) by that sort of margin was disappointing towards the end. We were in a brilliant position with both bat and ball at sort of the halfway stage.

“So it feels like we need to be really ruthless and be clear on what we need to do towards the back end of our innings. So, it looks like a good opportunity today to put that right. It’s brilliant to have her back. Really looking forward to seeing Danni bat today. She brings a wealth of experience to our team, fresh as a mother, but ready to get going,” she said.

Playing XIs:

India: Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Yastika Bhatia, Harmanpreet Kaur (captain), Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh (wk), Deepti Sharma, Arundhati Reddy, Shreyanka Patil, Nandni Sharma, and Sree Charani

England: Danni Wyatt-Hodge, Sophia Dunkley, Amy Jones (wk), Alice Capsey, Heather Knight, Freya Kemp, Danielle Gibson, Charlie Dean (captain), Sophie Ecclestone, Linsey Smith, and Lauren Bell

–IANS

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