India captain Harmanpreet Kaur admitted her side put pressure on themselves by consuming too many dot balls in the middle overs as England notched a 26-run victory in the second women’s T20I to level three-match series 1-1 in Bristol on Saturday.
Chasing 169, India was well placed at 78 for two at the halfway mark but lost momentum against the spin duo of Charlie Dean and Sophie Ecclestone before finishing at 142/9.
“I think we put pressure on ourselves. When we were getting runs, we should have kept rotating the strike. We played a lot of dot balls in between and that put us under pressure,” Harmanpreet said at the post-match presentation.
The Indian skipper’s remarks pointed at the decisive middle phase of the chase, when Dean and Ecclestone bowled tight lines and collectively delivered 21 dot balls, drying up scoring opportunities and pushing up the required rate.
After her match-winning half-century in the series opener, Yastika Bhatia struggled for fluency, scoring 33 off 36 balls before being retired out in an attempt to inject momentum into the chase. Jemimah Rodrigues, the Player of the Match in the first T20I, was sent in as her replacement but the move failed to pay off.
ALSO READ | Kemp shines with bat and ball as England beats India by 26 runs to level series 1-1
“Unfortunately, she was not connecting the ball well and we thought Jemi, after the way she batted in the last game, could come in and make an impact. But that didn’t work for us,” Harmanpreet said.
“We never thought this situation would come because Yastika batted really well in the first game and we expected her to continue. But that’s cricket. Sometimes things click and sometimes they don’t. The important thing is to keep thinking about what the team needs.”
Harmanpreet also credited England all-rounder Freya Kemp, whose unbeaten 39 off 13 balls at the death lifted England to 168 for five before she returned to claim the key wickets of Smriti Mandhana and Jemimah.
“I think she took the game away from us with the way she batted in the last two overs. We should give her credit for that. They probably got 10 to 15 extra runs at the end.
“We started well in the chase and it was about building partnerships, but unfortunately we played too many dot balls in the middle. That really cost us,” she added.
Kemp, who was named Player of the Match, was pleased to make an impact with the ball after her explosive cameo with the bat.
“It was nice to be back bowling, getting a few overs for the team and picking up a couple of wickets,” she said.
The 21-year-old left-hander also credited England’s top order for laying the foundation that allowed her to play freely at the back end.
“The girls at the top did a great job. Danni and Dunks set up the powerplay really well, and Amy and Kat were excellent through the middle. That allowed me to come in and play my role later in the innings,” Kemp said.
Published on May 30, 2026
