India beats England to break a record by RajThird women's international for women, Worcester England 219 all-out (47 overs: Sciver 49; Deepti 347 India 220-6 (46.3 runs): Raj 75*. Mandhana 49. Ecclestone 2-36 India (2pts). Win by four wickets. England leads series 6-4 ScorecardCaptain Mithali Raj led India in a thrilling win of four wickets against England in Worcester. This was to keep tourists alive in the multi format series.India struggled to chase 220 runs as the run rate rose on a slow pitch. The hosts needed 46 runs from the last 36 balls.Raj was the run-scorer for women's international cricket with 75 runs from 86 balls. Sneh Rana's 22 and quick 22 put India ahead, leaving them only six runs to go.Raj was the one who drove Katherine Brunt's third delivery over the boundary. This was a fitting win for both Katherine Brunt and Raj, which reduced the series' point gap to 6-4.India was surrounded by the most enthusiastic crowd and put themselves in a good place with the ball. Then they were thrilled with the unexpected run chase.The series now switches over to three T20 internationals with the first being in Northampton on Friday.Raj proves that she is the bestNew Road was full of India fansRaj has achieved half-centuries in all three ODIs but only this one is a winner.The 38-year old has been criticized for scoring too slowly and placing unfair pressure on batters.Raj, a 21-year international veteran, knows her game better than anyone. She knows that if she stays until the end, like she did at New Road here, she has enough skill and power to push India to victory.She did. She seemed to be more aggressive at first, moving twice down the pitch in order to strike the bowlers down the ground for four shots, which was a record that she broke with Charlotte Edwards' all time record.Although she is slow between the wickets, she was able absorb pressure and unleash the England team as they lost the match.The pull to midwicket of Kate Cross to bring her fifty was good. The lofty drive from Sciver in the 43rd to pull India back into chase was breathtaking.With 49 runs, Smriti Mandhana had set the stage for India, but England played well until the last seven overs to limit the tourists.India won the match thanks to slips in the field, and poor last two overs by Brunt, who lost the line,Hosts are struggling to make a pitch that is fast and consistentEngland was playing their first ODI series. They struggled to adjust to the pitch's pace and the timing of their innings.Due to the persistent rain, the pitch was slow and had very little bounce. Tammy Beaumont attempted to pull a JhulanGoswami delivery but was stopped by the pitch and pinned lbw.Knight and Sciver were the only players who spent any time at the crease. Knight and Sciver also struggled to find the boundary. A better Indian fielding effort prevented them from rotating the strike.The batters were trying to speed up the pace. Knight took Harmanpreet Kaur deep mid-wicket. Amy Jones came down and lifted Deepti to the deep. Sciver, who was one run away of her half-century, ran big and was well held in the end by a sliding Mandhana.England's lower order was also struggling, losing three wickets in seven balls and ending up at 197-9 with two overs to spareCross's late thrash at number 11 saw her hit six runs in the final innings and helped them surpass the 200 mark. This was almost enough."I don't give up" - that's what they saidHeather Knight, England captain: "There was some disappointment but it was a great match and made even more special by the crowd."We hadn't been tested in this manner for a while, so it was an excellent experience to finish the job."India captain Mithali Raj says, "I don't give up in middle, I knew that I needed one solid partnership.""I knew that I could manage the game in the middle innings. Our younger players require me to lead them and be there in the middle. It's impossible to win games sitting in the dugout.Sophie Ecclestone, Player of the Series: "It was disappointing but we got the two wins first which sets us up well for the T20s."Mithali batted very well today. It was difficult to bowl at that pitch because it's likely more like the pitch they're used too."
