India Women Beat West Indies by 26 Runs in T20 World Cup 2026 Warm-Up Match

India Women opened their T20 World Cup warm-up schedule with a 26-run win over West Indies Women at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff on Monday. Bharti Fulmali's unbeaten half-century and a strong spell from the spin bowlers helped India come away with a useful victory ahead of the tournament.

After a delayed start because of rain, India were asked to bat first. Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma made the most of the powerplay and got the innings moving straight away. The pair added 59 runs for the opening wicket, giving India a solid platform in the first six overs.
Smriti was the first to depart after scoring 23, and India soon lost Shafali for 29 and Jemimah Rodrigues. A strong start suddenly looked less comfortable, and the middle order had some work to do.

Yastika Bhatia and Bharti Fulmali settled things down. Instead of looking to score boundaries quickly, they were content with maintaining a steady scoreline in forming partnerships. Yastika made 36 before leaving the crease, while Bharti stayed on and gradually took more responsibility for the innings.

The right-hander looked assured throughout her stay at the crease. She had hit her strengths and was rotating her strikes effectively. She had scored well off the deliveries she got. By the final over, she had reached an unbeaten 56 from 40 balls, an innings that included six fours and a six.

India finished with 179/8 from their 20 overs. Considering the wickets they lost during the middle phase, it was a score they would have happily taken at the innings break.

For the West Indies, experienced leg-spinner Afy Fletcher was the standout bowler. Her bowling stats stood at 4/23, thus limiting India's score below 180.

West Indies began the chase with confidence. Deandra Dottin and Shemaine Campbelle looked comfortable from the start and matched India's intent from earlier in the day. The pair added 63 runs without loss and kept the target well within reach.

https://www.indiasportshub.com/articles/england-women-chase-down-181-to-beat-india-women-by-six-wickets-win-series-2-1

Nine overs into the innings, neither side had a clear advantage. India finally found a breakthrough when Campbell was dismissed. From there, the chase began to look different.

Shreyanka Patil struck soon after and removed Qiana Joseph and Jahzara Claxton in the same over. West Indies were no longer scoring as freely, and the new batters had little time to settle.
Radha Yadav followed with a spell that pushed India further ahead. The left-arm spinner dismissed Deandra Dottin for 49, denying her a half-century just when West Indies needed her to stay at the crease. Radha also removed Aaliyah Alleyne and Chinelle Henry, leaving the Caribbean side with plenty to do in the closing overs.

West Indies never really recovered after losing wickets in a cluster. The required rate climbed steadily, and India kept chipping away with regular breakthroughs.

The bowler Shreyanka picked up two more wickets to end with 4/36, while the bowler Radha took 3/25. Together, they accounted for seven wickets and played the biggest role in restricting the West Indies to 153/8.

Jannillea Glasgow and Shawnisha Hector added some late runs, but the target was already slipping out of reach. India eventually completed a 26-run victory and began their warm-up fixtures on a positive note.

India would have been pleased with what they saw from both Bharti Fulmali and the spin attack. The team will now face England in another warm-up match before opening its Women's T20 World Cup 2026 journey against Pakistan on June 14 at Edgbaston.
Brief Scorecard

India Women 179/8 (20 overs): Bharti Fulmali 56* (40), Yastika Bhatia 36, Shafali Verma 29; Afy Fletcher 4/23.
West Indies Women 153/8 (20 overs): Deandra Dottin 49, Shemaine Campbelle 33; Shreyanka Patil 4/36, Radha Yadav 3/25.
Result: India Women won by 26 runs.