England did not need to win this game to reach the semis – they play Australia next on Wednesday, who look close to unbeatable, followed by New Zealand where they would be strong favourites.
But they did need the win to prove to themselves they could win games like this.
After removing Pratika Rawal and Harleen Deol early, England were faced with one of the most formidable partnerships in Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur – and struggled.
Their partnership of 125 was a masterclass, Harmanpreet’s power combined with Mandhana’s finesse.
England bowled too wide to the left-handed opener, who scored heavily on the off-side, but the biggest difference between India and England’s other opponents so far is that they do not fear Sophie Ecclestone.
Mandhana was exceptional in sitting deep in the crease and playing the ball late, while Harmanpreet and later Deepti Sharma took the world number one bowler down the ground.
India threw the game away via their own mistakes but England deserve credit for how they closed it out, because until they needed nine from the last ball, victory was never certain.
But a notable difference from the past year is that England’s body language did not dip. They held their standards – the fielding fumbles did not creep in, they worked as a unit and fought until the last ball.
Ecclestone won the battle with Deepti, who slog-swept to Sophia Dunkley. The ball hung high in the air for what felt like an age, the crowd behind Dunkley roaring for it to be put down.
It was a straightforward chance but with the context of pressure, we have seen England drop many recently, with Alice Capsey and Emma Lamb also holding on to high-stakes chances earlier to dismiss Mandhana and Harmanpreet.
Basics, yes – but executing them has not always been the case for this side. This win is an important hurdle to overcome, one which should serve them well with the pressure cooker turning up a notch from now on.
