England restrict India to 201/8 in 1st ODI despite Mithali Raj's fifty

Bristol [UK], June 27 (ANI): Sophie Ecclestone picked three while Katherine Brunt and Anya Shrubsole scalped two wickets as England women's restricted India women's team to 201 in 50 overs despite skipper Mithali Raj's gutsy half-century in the first ODI on Sunday.
India were 84/4 at one stage but Mithali played a cautious knock to ensure the visitors get to a respectable total. The Indian skipper, who hit her 56th ODI fifty, had upped the ante when she was settled but got out in the 46th over.
Deepti Sharma (30) and Punam Raut (32) also made valuable contributions with the bat before England restricted India at 201/8.
Asked to bat first, India got off to a bad start as the side lost both Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma inside ten overs.
Shafali Verma got out after scoring a quick 15 on her ODI debut while Smriti Mandhana was cleaned bowled by Anya Shrubsole in the tenth over.
Skipper Mithali Raj and Punam Raut then stitched a 56-run stand to revive India's innings. However, Kate Cross ended Raut's stint at the crease in the 26th over.
Harmanpreet Kaur's dismissal a few minutes later put India on the back foot again as the visitors got reduced to 84/4 after losing two quick wickets.
But Mithali kept patience and played a slow knock to keep India in the game. The Indian skipper along with Deepti Sharma stitched a 65-run stand.
England bowlers dismissed both Deepti and Mithali before they could unleash an array of shots in the death overs.
In the end, India was only able to score 201 in the allotted 50 overs. The visitors added just 21 runs after skipper Mithali's dismissal in the 46th over.
Brief Scores: India Women 201/8 (Mithali Raj 72, Punam Raut 32; Sophie Ecclestone 3/40) vs England (ANI)