Chester-le-Street: India skipper Harmanpreet Kaur returned to her blistering best with a magnificent century in the series-deciding third ODI against England, powering India to a memorable series win. Her composed knock of 100 off 84 balls helped India post a formidable 318/5, which proved just enough as the hosts fell short by 13 runs.
The century — her seventh in ODIs — marked a return to form for Harmanpreet, who had been struggling for runs in the white-ball series. It was her first ODI hundred in 13 innings and came at a crucial moment with the series locked at 1-1. She began cautiously, opening her account on the 11th delivery with a trademark cover drive, and steadily built her innings before accelerating later.
“In all the matches, I tried to give my best with the bat, but today was especially important for the team,” Harmanpreet said after the match. “I kept reminding myself to stay calm and spend time in the middle — that plan worked perfectly.”
Her knock was also the second-fastest century by an Indian woman in ODIs, behind only Smriti Mandhana’s 70-ball ton against Ireland earlier this year. In the process, Harmanpreet also became just the third Indian woman to surpass 4,000 runs in ODIs.
While Harmanpreet starred with the bat, it was 21-year-old seamer Kranti Goud who stole the show with the ball. Playing just her fifth ODI, Goud delivered a dream spell of 6/52, becoming the second-youngest Indian after Deepti Sharma to claim a five-wicket haul in women’s ODIs. Her wickets came at crucial junctures, as England’s chase ended at 305, narrowly missing the 319-run target.
“She’s been impressive every time she’s had the ball in hand,” Harmanpreet said of Goud. “Today, she kept breaking partnerships when we needed it the most.”
India’s 318/5 total was their second-highest ODI score in England, following the 333/5 they posted in Canterbury in 2022. This was also their fifth 300-plus ODI total in 2025, underlining their growing strength in the format.
Looking ahead to the Women’s ODI World Cup on home soil starting September 30, Harmanpreet sounded optimistic. “We’re heading in the right direction. The girls are adopting a positive mindset, working on fitness, and learning from every series. It’s great to see people back home starting to take women’s cricket seriously. India loves cricket, and we’re determined to make the country proud,” she concluded.
