Hosts India Women suffered another close defeat in a thriller against England Women in the fifth round of the league stage in the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025. While the India Women lost the game from a very comfortable position, the Indian cricket fans have revealed their frustration with women's cricket on social media. 

After winning the first two games of the tournament against Sri Lanka Women and Pakistan Women by 59 runs (DLS method) and 88 runs, respectively, India Women suffered two close defeats against South Africa Women and the defending champions Australia Women, both by three wickets. As the hosts are fighting for the Semi-final spot in the tournament, their match against England Women at Indore on Sunday (October 19) was very important. 

After England Women chose to bat first, they scored 288/8 in 50 overs, while Heather Knight scored 109 runs off 91 balls with 15 fours and one six. While it was India Women's record chase in the format, Smriti Mandhana (88), skipper Harmanpreet Kaur (70), and Deepti Sharma (50) guided the team to a comfortable position in the game. 

Fans can't accept India Women's failure to score 56 runs off 54 balls while having 7 wickets in hand

In the last nine overs of the game, India Women needed 56 runs and seven wickets in hand, while the pitch was really in favour of the batters. Despite a continuous fight, the India Women lost the game by four runs, as they scored 284/6 in 50 overs. This defeat has put India Women in danger of early elimination from the tournament, especially if they fail to beat New Zealand Women in their next game. Many fans can't accept the latest defeat, as the match was dropped despite taking control of the game, while this defeat has put the hosts in a do-or-die position in the competition.   

The burst of frustration

It’s the case of authority with no accountability, as far as the Indian women’s team or women’s cricket in India is concerned.

They’ve got everything they ever demanded (may be deserved), but what have they offered in return?

Once this Women’s World Cup is over, heads need to…

— Rahul Rawat (@rawatrahul9) October 19, 2025

India Women's Lose from Here 😳😳@CricCrazyJohns #IndianCricket #CWC25 #INDvsENG pic.twitter.com/mvRQOfTMx0

— Hussain 804 (@hmwrites_07) October 19, 2025

I never comment on sports, but today, as I watched #India vs #England ICC WOMEN WORLD CUP match, I genuinely felt that many Indian players lacked #Stamina, #MusclePower & #KillerInstinct. Some looked Malnourished. Last Over batting was a JOKE. Time for @BCCI to apply some mind.

— Pathikrit Payne (@live_pathikrit) October 19, 2025

Not Feeling Sad For India 🇮🇳 Women's Team But Actually Feeling Very Sad For Indore Crowd, They Cheerished Throughout the Game for India 🇮🇳 India 🇮🇳. But This W Team Always Disappointed Just Like Previous 2024 T20 World Cup. #Cricket #Deepotsav2025 #INDWvsENGW #IndianCricket pic.twitter.com/1IkgEEl1jQ

— Crick Momentum (@Crick_Momentum) October 19, 2025

From 2017 to 2025 nothing has changed in Indian women's cricket
They don't have a good striker at the end other than Richa to finish matches and they can't even chase 7rpo in last 10 overs
Just lose vs kiwis and give a chance for the deserving to semis#IndvsEng#CWC25 pic.twitter.com/7ub4ql5jIw

— Ganesh (@4evrRCB) October 19, 2025

Special effort from India women in losing needing 71 off 72 with 7 wickets in hand & the worst part is they lost by only losing 6 wickets. Now they have lost to all the big teams they have played & beaten only minnows . Absolutely shameful performance so far on a home WC #CWC25

— Cricket Tamizhan (@CricketTamizhan)October 19, 2025

India’s women cricket team are the biggest chokers I have seen in cricket. What a shit team and shitty performance they display, always…!!!!

— Beerwala .!!! (@Kaskpakdo) October 19, 2025

Indian women's cricket never misses a chance to disappoint.Needed 55 from 54 balls with 8 wickets in hand and lost the game.This is what happens when u try to create celebrity culture in the team and dont pick players on merit.They did the same against England in the final years…

— Rohit Mundra (@RohitMu91645791) October 19, 2025

The rare support

The reactions from some "journalists" to today's loss for the India Women's side is truly insane.

Be upset as a fan, sure. Stop acting like the world ended and everything the Women's team has achieved is worthless.

Its a bad tournament. It happens. Calm the hell down.

— The Best of Cricket (@bestcricstories) October 19, 2025

A curse date!

19th really got a curse on Indian cricket.
Men lost today, women lost too, and the 2023 World Cup final was also on a 19th.
Same date, same pain.

— Yashika (@Yashuwuuu) October 19, 2025

While India Women suffered another close defeat in the thriller against England Women at their fifth round match in the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025, Deepti Sharma played a memorable all-rounder role, which created history for India Women in the competition. 

England Women chose to bat first at Indore on Sunday (October 19) and they scored 288/8 in 50 overs. Indian off-spinner Deepti Sharma was the best bowler for India Women as she had the bowling figures of 10-0-51-4. She got a wicket in her first over of the match, which completed her 150 Women's ODI wickets, and she controlled the first innings really well, especially the crucial slog overs, as England Women failed to reach the 300-run mark.

Chasing down the target, while Smriti Mandhana (88) and captain Harmanpreet Kaur (70) set the strong momentum, Deepti Sharma controlled the next situation well, as she also scored a half-century. Before losing her wicket in the business end of the game, Deepti scored 50 off 57 balls with five fours. 

See Also: Harmanpreet Kaur reaches special milestone during IND-W vs ENG-W in Women's Cricket World Cup 2025

Deepti Sharma became first Indian to record 50 runs and 4 wickets in the same Women's World Cup match

Deepti became the first Indian and fourth overall cricketer to record at least 50 runs and four wickets in the same match of Women's Cricket World Cup history. Meanwhile, the all-rounder also became the second Indian cricketer to achieve these similar all-round feats in a Women's ODI match.

Jemimah Rodrigues: 1st Indian to record 50 runs and 4 wickets in the same WODI match

Jemimah Rodrigues was the first Indian to record these when she scored 86 runs and also recorded four for only three runs with the ball against Bangladesh Women at Mirpur in 2023, which India Women won by 108 runs. 

In the same Women's World Cup 2025 match against England Women, Deepti became the fourth cricketer and first Indian to record at least 2500 runs and 150 wickets in Women's ODI history, when she became the second Indian to record 150 WODI wickets. 

Four-time champions and the last-time runners-up England Women have booked their place for the Semi-finals of the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025 after beating the hosts India Women by four runs, as the hosts are now under pressure, as there is only one spot remaining for the Semi-finals of the tournament.

India Women had a 289-run target against England Women, as the win would be very helpful for India Women to put one step ahead in the Semi-finals qualification. While it was India Women's record Women's ODI chase, Smriti Mandhana (88), skipper Harmanpreet Kaur (70), and Deepti Sharma's (50) brilliant batting performances put the hosts in a comfortable position in the chase. However, the hosts lost the momentum in the slog overs and suffered a four-run defeat in the thriller. 

See Also: Qualification scenario of India for Semi Final in ongoing Women ODI World Cup 2025

ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025: England Women became 3rd team to book Semi-finals spot

With this crucial win, England Women maintained their unbeaten record in the tournament, as they have earned nine points after five games, with four wins and one no result. While Australia Women and England Women are the only unbeaten teams in the tournament, the English side became the third team to book a Semi-final spot after Australia Women and South Africa Women secured the places.

With nine points after five matches (four wins and one no result), Australia Women are leading the points table, while England Women are in second position. Meanwhile, South Africa Women are in third place with eight points after five games (four wins and one loss). 

India Women vs New Zealand Women: Do-or-die match for both teams

Now the hosts India Women are under pressure with four points after five matches, with two wins and three losses. While they are in the fourth position, New Zealand Women are in the fifth place with four points after five games, but one win, two losses, and two no results. On Thursday (October 23), India Women will face New Zealand Women, which will be the must-win game for both teams to qualify for the Semis, as only one spot is available and both teams are challenging strongly for the spot.

Bangladesh Women, Sri Lanka Women, and Pakistan Women all have two points each, as they are in the last three places, respectively. However, Sri Lanka Women and Pakistan Women both are searching for their first win in the tournament.  

In the key game of the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025 against the four-time champions England Women, Indian skipper Harmanpreet Kaur found her form as she scored a crucial half-century, while she also reached a special milestone in the tournament history with her memorable batting performance. 

Chasing down the 289-run target, which is the record chase for India Women, skipper Harmanpreet Kaur came to bat when India Women were struggling at 42/2. From the challenging situation, Indian opener Smriti Mandhana and the no.4 batter Harmanpreet Kaur set up the crucial 125-run partnership off 122 balls for the third wicket that put the hosts into a better position in the challenging chase. 

WATCH: Harmanpreet Kaur's brilliant ends Nat Sciver's innings in IND-W vs ENG-W in Women's Cricket World Cup 2025

Harmanpreet Kaur became second Indian to score 1000 runs in ICC Women's Cricket World Cup

Kaur scored a run-a-ball 70 after completing her 50 runs in 54 balls. She hit 10 fours in that crucial innings. After completing her 53 runs in that innings, Kaur completed her 1000 runs in the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup. After Mithali Raj (1321 runs), Kaur became the second Indian to record 1000+ runs in the competition's history. Meanwhile, Kaur became the seventh batter in the tournament's history to score 1000+ runs, as she scored 1017 runs in the competition at the end of her latest innings.

Harmanpreet Kaur recorded her eighth 50+ score in Women's ODI World Cup

On the other hand, it was Kaur's eighth 50+ score in the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup history, who scored three centuries in this competition history. She is only behind Mithali Raj among the Indians with the most 50+ scores in the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup history, while Mithali recorded it 13 times. Smriti Mandhana is chasing Kaur, as Mandhana's half-century in the game was her seventh 50+ score in the tournament's history. 

While Heather Knight and Nat Sciver-Brunt raised the headache in the Indian camp with a solid century partnership for the third wicket, Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur's brilliant catch ended the English skipper's innings.

Sunday (October 19) is crucial for India Women as the hosts are facing England Women at Indore in the league stage of the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025, where the Women in Blues need to win the remaining three matches to confidently reach the Semi-finals of the tournament. 

Heather Knight and skipper Nat Sciver-Brunt set a strong partnership

After England Women chose to bat first, their openers produced a solid start with a 73-run partnership. While both the openers were dismissed before the total reached the 100-run mark, Heather Knight and skipper Nat Sciver-Brunt built a steady partnership to control the innings.

While Knight was going smoothly, Sciver-Brunt was also confidently growing her innings. They hardly produced any chances, as the run-rate was slowly climbing, thanks to both the reputed English batters. As their partnership crossed the three-figure mark, it was frustrating for the Indian team. As the slog overs were coming, a wicket was much needed for the hosts.

See Also: Deepti Sharma creates Women's ODI history for India Women in IND-W vs ENG-W in ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025

Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur's brilliant catch ended English skipper Nat Sciver-Brunt's innings

The wait was finally over in the 39th over, as Shree Charani produced the wicket for India Women, while the Indian skipper Harmanpreet Kaur grabbed a brilliant catch to dismiss the English skipper. Nat Sciver-Brunt made a room and tried to go over the cover, where the Indian captain was standing, but Kaur reacted brilliantly to take that catch, as England Women lost their third wicket for 211 runs. It was the 113-run partnership for the third wicket, where Sciver-Brunt was dismissed for 38 runs off 49 balls. It was Shree Charani's first wicket of the match after a tough start in the game. 

A huge moment in the game! 🙌🏻

Just when England seemed in control, Harmanpreet Kaur’s stunning catch breaks the stand & Nat Sciver-Brunt departs! 💥

Catch the LIVE action ➡https://t.co/WF0rXIHjl8#CWC25 👉 #INDvENG | LIVE NOW on Star Sports & JioHotstar pic.twitter.com/idqafd4x0p

— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) October 19, 2025

Indian all-rounder Deepti Sharma started the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025 league stage match against England Women strongly with a wicket in her first over, as it was her 150th Women's ODI wicket. 

Indore is hosting crucial India Women vs England Women match on Sunday (October 19), where England Women chose to bat first after winning the toss. Although the Indian team didn't get an early wicket, they were very disciplined as the boundaries weren't coming easily. 

England Women had a cautious but useful 73-run partnership for the first wicket, while the Indian team missed a review chance to dismiss the struggling opener Tammy Beaumont. Luckily, that decision didn't cost the hosts much, as they got the breakthrough just after the first drinks break of the innings.

Once again, Deepti Sharma proved her value as the off-spinner produced India's first wicket of the match in her first over. On the final ball of the 16th over of the innings, Deepti delivered a fuller to the leg stump, while Tammy Beaumont completely missed that and lost her wicket. She was dismissed for 22 runs in 43 balls, while Deepti Sharma completed her 150 Women's ODI wickets.

.@Deepti_Sharma06 wastes no time! 🔥

She picks up her 150th ODI wicket, and a well-set Tammy Beaumont has to walk back! 👏

Catch the LIVE action ➡https://t.co/WF0rXIHRaG#CWC25 👉 #INDvENG | LIVE NOW on Star Sports & JioHotstar pic.twitter.com/BGhRwSUgtU

— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) October 19, 2025

See Also: Cricket Meets Melody! Smriti Mandhana Reportedly Engaged to 30-Year-Old Music Composer from Indore

Deepti Sharma became first Indian spinner to complete 150 WODI wickets

Deepti became the second Indian bowler, after the legendary pacer Jhulan Goswami, who is the leading Women's ODI wicket-taker with 255 wickets, to complete 150 wickets in Women's ODI format. Meanwhile, she became the 10th bowler and fourth spinner to achieve this feat in this format. 

There is another feat Deepti has achieved, as she became the first Indian and fourth cricketer to achieve the all-round feat of 2500 runs and 150 wickets in Women's ODI cricket.

Cricketers with 2500 runs and 150 wickets in Women's ODI

• 4414 runs + 166 wickets: Ellyse Perry (Australia Women)
• 5873 runs + 155 wickets: Stafanie Taylor (West Indies Women)
• 3397 runs + 172 wickets: Marizanne Kapp (South Africa Women)
• 2607 runs + 150 wickets: Deepti Sharma (India Women)

Hosts India Women have entered the must-win phase in the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025, as one more hiccup can ruin their Semi-final qualification hope for the tournament. While India Women will face the four-time champions England Women on Sunday (October 19), their pre-match day practice was disrupted by rain.

Holkar Stadium at Indore will host the India Women vs England Women match on Sunday. As India Women closely lost their last two fixtures against South Africa Women and Australia Women, they need to win the remaining three fixtures in the league stage to comfortably qualify for the knockout stages in the tournament.

WATCH: Rohit Sharma says "I want to play World Cup 2027" to young cricket fans

IND-W vs ENG-W, ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025: Rain disrupted India Women's pre-matchday practice

While Saturday was crucial for the practice before the big match against the unbeaten side in the tournament (England Women), rain disrupted India Women's practice. Rain has already affected several matches in the ongoing ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025, as three matches have been ended with no results in Sri Lanka, including one abandoned match between Sri Lanka Women and Australia Women. 

Although the rain affected Saturday's practice session, there is some very good news for the cricket fans, as there is no rain threat for the India Women vs England Women match. 

Recent WODI records of India Women vs England Women

India Women won five out of their last six Women's ODI meetings against England Women, including winning the three-match WODI series in England last July by 2-1. However, in their last five meetings in the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup, India Women won once and lost four times, while they won their only match in this period in the league stage of the 2017 edition. 

In the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025, England Women are in third position with seven points after four matches, with three wins and one no result, as only they and the defending champions Australia Women are the unbeaten sides in this tournament. Meanwhile, with two wins and two losses, hosts India Women are in the fourth position with four points after four matches. 

Harmanpreet Kaur couldn’t have picked a better time to shine. In the final and most important match of the series, the Indian captain played one of her finest knocks a brilliant 102 off just 84 balls to help India post a big total and seal the series against England.

She started slowly but picked up pace beautifully, showing once again why she’s one of the best in the game when it comes to accelerating an innings. Her hundred came off just 82 balls the second fastest by an Indian woman in ODIs.

This innings wasn’t just about helping the team win. It was also full of personal milestones. Harmanpreet became only the third Indian woman to cross 4,000 runs in ODIs, after legends Mithali Raj and Smriti Mandhana. She also matched Mithali’s tally of seven hundreds in the format  with only Smriti ahead of her with 11.

🚨 HISTORY FOR HARMANPREET 🚨

- Harmanpreet Kaur becomes first Visiting player to score 3 ODI Hundreds in England in Women's Cricket. 🤯 pic.twitter.com/1QO9AJTseF

— Tanuj (@ImTanujSingh) July 22, 2025

More importantly, this was her third century in England the most by any visiting batter in women’s ODIs. Her love for batting in England continues to grow. Her first came in the 2017 World Cup semifinal against Australia the unforgettable 171. The second was a powerful 143* in Canterbury in 2022. And now, this match-winning 102.

India finished with 318/5, with a strong partnership between Harmanpreet and Jemimah Rodrigues in the final overs. After both teams had won one match each in the series, this decider was all about who wanted it more. Harmanpreet, the captain, played a fantastic innings in the decider, and the team scored 318 runs, losing 5 wickets.

England is all set to host the India Women's cricket team for 5 T20Is and 3 One Day Internationals. The series will start on June 28, Saturday, at Trent Bridge, Nottingham. Ahead of the match, the India Women's team had some fun during their training session. 

The board has shared a video on social media where viewers can see cricketers hit six after six. The coaching setup arranged a six-hitting competition to make the training more interesting. Cricketers also took part in the drill with more enthusiasm. It was an intrasquad competition. Three well-balanced teams compete with each other to hit the most number of sixes.

As the team is going to play a limited overs series, their six-hitting abilities can take a major role in a decisive situation. Due to multiple injury concerns, BCCI had to make some changes in the squad. After a successful individual stint in the Women’s Premier League, Shefali Verma has returned to the squad. Kranti Gaud and Sayali Satghare have received their maiden T20I call-ups.

Read More: How do you manage...' - Rohit Sharma reveals reason behind Ritika Sajdeh's cross finger superstition

Watch the festival of 6s here

Batters' Day Out: Sound on 🔊

The six-hitting competition ft. #TeamIndia 💪

Guess who took home the prize🏆❓#ENGvIND pic.twitter.com/4DAaLFNnZE

— BCCI Women (@BCCIWomen) June 22, 2025

Schedule for India's tour of England 

India squad for ODIs & T20Is against England

India’s T20I Squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Smriti Mandhana (vc), Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh (wk), Yastika Bhatia (wk), Harleen Deol, Deepti Sharma, Sneh Rana, Sree Charani, Shuchi Upadhyay, Amanjot Kaur, Arundhati Reddy, Kranti Gaud, Sayali Satghare.

India's ODI Squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Smriti Mandhana (vc), Pratika Rawal, Harleen Deol, Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh (wk), Yastika Bhatia (wk), Tejal Hasabnis, Deepti Sharma, Sneh Rana, Sree Charani, Shuchi Upadhyay, Amanjot Kaur, Arundhati Reddy, Kranti Gaud, Sayali Satghare.

Before the Indian men's Test squad announcement for the five-match Test series for the England tour, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has officially announced the India Women's squads for the white-ball series in the upcoming England tour. 

On Thursday (May 15), the Women's Selection Committee picked a 15-member Women's T20I squad and a 16-member Women's ODI squad for the upcoming England tour. India Women will play a five-match WT20I series and a three-match WODI series in the forthcoming England tour between June 28 and July 22.

Captain Harmanpreet Kaur will lead both the white-ball sides, and Smriti Mandhana will continue her deputy roles. Both white-ball squads are almost the same, excluding the presence of Shafali Verma only in the WT20I squad and the presence of Pratika Rawal and Tejal Hasabnis only in the WODI squad. Hasabnis was present during India's recent WODI tri-series win in Sri Lanka but didn't get a chance to play any of the matches. The 27-year-old has played six WODIs, where the right-handed middle-order batter recorded 160 runs with an average of 46.66 and a strike rate of 78.65, including one half-century.  

ALSO WATCH: ICC releases promo for World Test Championship Final 2025

India Women's tour of England 2025: Complete India Women's squads

India’s WT20I Squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (Captain), Smriti Mandhana (vice-captain), Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh (wicketkeeper), Yastika Bhatia (wicketkeeper), Harleen Deol, Deepti Sharma, Sneh Rana, Sree Charani, Shuchi Upadhyay, Amanjot Kaur, Arundhati Reddy, Kranti Gaud, Sayali Satghare

India's WODI Squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (Captain), Smriti Mandhana (vice-captain), Pratika Rawal, Harleen Deol, Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh (wicketkeeper), Yastika Bhatia (wicketkeeper), Tejal Hasabnis, Deepti Sharma, Sneh Rana, Sree Charani, Shuchi Upadhyay, Amanjot Kaur, Arundhati Reddy, Kranti Gaud, Sayali Satghare

🚨NEWS - Team India (Senior Women) squads for the upcoming England tour announced 🚨

A look at the squads for T20Is and ODIs 👇#TeamIndia | #ENGvIND pic.twitter.com/lrUMzF09f8

— BCCI Women (@BCCIWomen) May 15, 2025

India Women's tour of England 2025: Complete Schedule

(5-match WT20I series)

June 28: 1st WT20I - Trent Bridge, Nottingham (19:00 IST)

July 1: 2nd WT20I - Seat Unique Stadium, Bristol (23:00 IST)

July 4: 3rd WT20I - Kennington Oval, London (23:05 IST)

July 9: 4th WT20I - Old Trafford, Manchester (23:00 IST)

July 12: 5th WT20I - Edgbaston, Birmingham (23:05 IST)

(3-match WODI series)

July 16: 1st WODI - The Rose Bowl, Southampton (17:30 IST)

July 19: 2nd WODI - Lord's Cricket Ground, London (15:30 IST)

July 22: 3rd WODI - Riverside Ground, Chester-le-Street (17:30 IST)