India's women’s cricket team created history at Old Trafford on Wednesday, sealing their first-ever bilateral T20I series win against England with a confident six-wicket triumph. With this win, India took an unassailable 3–1 lead in the five-match series, marking their maiden T20I series victory on English soil after failing to win any of their previous six away series against the hosts.

England opted to bat first and started well through openers Danni Wyatt-Hodge and Sophia Dunkley. But early breakthroughs from Shree Charani and Deepti Sharma put India in control. Radha Yadav’s tight spell of 2 for 15, combined with Charani’s 2 for 30, helped restrict England to 126 for 7, despite a late flourish by Issy Wong and Sophie Ecclestone.

India’s chase was clinical. Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana gave India a blazing start, adding 56 runs in just five overs. Though both openers fell before the halfway stage, a composed stand between Jemimah Rodrigues and skipper Harmanpreet Kaur brought India within touching distance of victory. Rodrigues stayed unbeaten to take the team over the line with three overs to spare.

This victory followed a dominant opening win in Trent Bridge and another in Bristol. Though England pulled one back at The Oval, India bounced back in Manchester to clinch the series. The fifth and final T20I will be played at Edgbaston, followed by a three-match ODI series starting July 16. This historic win not only boosts India’s confidence but also underlines their growing strength in international women’s cricket.