Chelmsford [UK], May 29 (ANI): Yastika Bhatia praised debutant Nandini Kashyap for her impressive bowling performance after India Women defeated England by 38 runs in the opening T20I of the three-match series.

Speaking after the match, Yastika lauded the youngster for sticking to her strengths under pressure and delivering a memorable performance on debut.

'Nandni bowled beautifully. She came back well with her slower ones, and that is her strength,' Yastika said after the game as quoted by ICC.

Nandni's spell of 3-34 led the way for India in the absence of first-pick pacer Renuka Singh, providing India a good selection headache to deal with ahead of the marquee ICC event next month.

'She bowled beautifully to her strength and got those wickets. In a debut game, it is exceptional. She was emotional, and we all also felt emotional seeing her at her debut and when she got the cap. It is exciting times for Indian cricket that whoever is coming into the XI is making their statement and making their contribution,' she added.

The 25-year-old went on to praise the warm welcome from the team that made her comeback from her long injury lay-off even more special.

'I felt really special and I am very grateful. I am coming back after a long time and the team has welcomed me very nicely and it has been very good to be back. I am very grateful to all of the people who were behind me at that time and behind the scenes a lot of work has gone to come back again into the team,' she said. Yastika also highlighted the role played by Jemimah Rodrigues during their partnership, praising her composure and encouragement at the crease.

'She batted exceptionally, she showed maturity. Initially she was very calm and she was supporting me, I was getting those boundaries and she was backing me very well and she was always having a conversation like even if I missed one or two balls, she would say no problem, Yasti you are batting like a dream, just keep playing and you will get the gap. Later on she got those boundaries and she got that flow and the strike rate we could all see that changed the momentum again in our favour. She is very mature now and we hope to see more innings from her,' she said.

After being put in to bat, India lost Smriti Mandhana early but recovered through a solid partnership between Yastika Bhatia, who scored a brisk 54 off 40 balls, and Jemimah Rodrigues, who anchored the innings with a superb 69 off 40 deliveries. A late push, including contributions from Deepti Sharma, helped India post a competitive total of 188/7.

England's bowling was led by Lauren Bell, who took three wickets, while Tilly Corteen-Coleman also impressed with disciplined spells in the middle overs.

In reply, England lost early wickets before Amy Jones fought back with a resilient 67 off 48 balls, supported briefly by Heather Knight. However, India's bowlers, led by Nandni Sharma's 3/23, broke the chase open with timely strikes. Kranti Gaud also chipped in with early wickets, while Deepti Sharma added control in the middle overs.

England eventually fell short by 38 runs, giving India a well-rounded victory driven by strong batting depth, disciplined bowling, and sharp fielding. With the win, India Women take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. (ANI)