Chelmsford, May 29 -- India Women's stand-in captain Smriti Mandhana praised the team's collective effort after their 38-run win over England Women in the opening T20I of the three-match series at Chelmsford.

India began their England tour on a strong note, with a disciplined all-round performance helping them take a 1-0 lead in the series. Notably, regular skipper Harmanpreet Kaur was rested for the opening fixture.

Reflecting on the match, Mandhana admitted that losing early wickets in the powerplay was not ideal but credited the middle-order for stabilising the innings.

"Losing two wickets in the power play was not ideal. Credit to Yastika Bhatia, who came back after 8 months. She took the game away. Jemi (Jemimah) is doing Jemi thi...