India tour of England: Deepti, Jemimah steer India to victory in first ODI

The Indian women's cricket team registered a solid 4-wicket win against England in the first ODI match, taking an early lead in a three-match series in Southampton, England, on Wednesday.

England posted a good total of 258 runs on the board despite a few early breakthroughs, but the Indian batters chased down the target efficiently in the 49th over, with a loss of 6 wickets.

All-rounder Deepti Sharma was adjudged as the player of the match for her unbeaten 62-run innings, steering her team to victory despite a small collapse in the middle phase.

The home side won the toss and chose to bat first in the opening ODI, aiming to kick off the series strongly after losing the T20 series 2-3 to India.

However, it didn't go as planned for England, as India’s young pacer Kranti Goud struck early, dismissing both English openers in first four overs with her impressive in-swingers, giving India a strong start.

After losing two quick wickets, skipper Nat Sciver Brunt and Emma Lamb steadied the innings with a 71-run partnership, regaining control.

However, Sneha Rana didn't let them get away with it and stopped their partnership by taking the wickets of both the batters within three overs.

But, Sophia Dunkley (83) and Davidson Richards (53) shifted the momentum back towards England wth a 106-run partnership and posted a good total of 258 runs in the given 50 overs.

Pursuing a target of 259, India’s openers Pratika Rawal (36) and Smriti Mandhana (28) provided a solid foundation, but then a mini-collapse saw India lose four wickets at the score of just 124 runs.

But then, Jemimah Rodrigues (48) and all-rounder Deepti Sharma (62) guided India to a comfortable position with a 90-run partnership, helping the side to chase down this total in the 49th over.

The team will now head on to London for the second match of the ODI series on July 19th, hoping to continue their winning momentum and clinch the ODI Series with one match to spare.