England booked their place in the semi-finals of the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 after a thrilling four-run win over India in Indore. Captain Heather Knight played a brilliant knock of 109 off 91 balls, guiding her side to a strong total of 288 for eight after choosing to bat first.
India came close to chasing down the target with a fighting 125-run partnership between Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur, but disciplined bowling in the final overs from Linsey Smith and Lauren Bell sealed victory for England.
Batting first, England started well as openers Tammy Beaumont and Amy Jones added 73 runs for the first wicket. Deepti Sharma, who became the first Indian woman to reach 150 ODI wickets, broke the stand by bowling Beaumont for 22. Jones made a fluent 56 before falling to Sharma again.
Knight then joined Nat Sciver-Brunt, and the pair steadied the innings with a 113-run partnership. Knight reached her century off 86 balls before being run out for 109, while Sciver-Brunt scored 38. Deepti Sharma was India’s standout bowler, finishing with four wickets as England ended their innings on 288 for eight.
In reply, India suffered an early setback when Lauren Bell dismissed Rawal for six. Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur rebuilt the innings, both reaching their fifties and keeping India’s hopes alive. However, once Kaur fell for 70 and Mandhana departed for 88, the chase began to falter.
Deepti Sharma made a fighting 52, but her dismissal in the final overs left India needing 27 runs from the last three overs. England’s bowlers held their nerve, with Linsey Smith and Sophie Ecclestone closing out the innings to secure a narrow four-run win.
The victory confirmed England’s spot in the semi-finals of the tournament, while India now face a must-win game against New Zealand in Navi Mumbai to stay in contention for a place in the final four.
