Indore: The Indian women’s cricket team suffered a crushing and heartbreaking defeat against England at the Holkar Stadium.

Chasing their highest-ever target of 289, Team India fell just four runs short. This defeat puts their chances of qualifying for the semifinals of the 2025 Women’s ODI World Cup in real jeopardy.

England innings: Knight scores a brilliant century

Batting first after losing the toss, England posted a competitive 288 for 8 against the hosts.

Former England captain Heather Knight proved to be a ‘knight in shining armor’ in her 300th international innings, scoring a brilliant century of 109 runs (91 balls, 15 fours, 1 six). Knight, along with captain Nat Sciver Brunt , shared a crucial partnership of 113 runs in 106 balls.

Earlier, Amy Jones (56 runs, 68 balls) and Tammy Beaumont (22 runs, 43 balls) provided a steady start, adding 73 runs off 97 balls.

Deepti Sharma, the Indian bowler , produced a brilliant performance, dismissing both Jones and Beaumont to bring India back into the game.

Deepti produced her best World Cup figures with figures of 4-51 from her 10 overs and remains the tournament’s leading wicket-taker with 13 wickets. However, England, despite their middle-order weakness, managed to take the score to 288 by hitting Shree Charani for 11 runs in the final over.

India’s chase: A trio of half-centuries but falter in the end

Chasing a target of 289, India got off to a poor start. Opener Pratika Rawal (6) was caught by Lauren Bell in the third over, while No. 3 batsman Harleen Deol (24) was trapped LBW by Charlie Dean.

Subsequently, the senior pair of Smriti Mandhana (88 runs, 84 balls) and captain Harmanpreet Kaur (70 runs, 70 balls) raised hopes of victory with a fine 125-run partnership from 122 balls. But India kept losing wickets at the wrong times. Harmanpreet was dismissed by Nat Sciver Brunt in the 31st over, and a tired Mandhana was caught by Linsey Smith in the 42nd over.

The pressure on India increased when Richa Ghosh (8) was dismissed in the 46th over. Deepti Sharma (50 runs, 57 balls) held one end, but she too was dismissed by Sophie Ecclestone in the 47th over, giving England the match. India needed 14 runs in the final over, but left-arm spinner Linsey Smith conceded only 9 runs, and India lost the match by 4 runs.

The road to the semi-finals

With this thrilling victory, England has now become the third team to qualify for the semifinals, after Australia and South Africa. Meanwhile, India, suffering their third consecutive defeat, will now need to defeat New Zealand at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on October 23rd to secure a place in the semifinals.

Poll: After this defeat, how do you see India’s chances of qualifying for the semi-finals?