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Indian women win ODI series

Old Trafford was a batsman's -- to be politically correct, bats-person's -- nightmare. Northampton turned out to be the exact opposite -- nice pace and even bounce, the kind of track batters salivate over.

India, winning the toss and batting first, took full toll. And the heroine, for the second game on the trot, was the 21-year-old left-hander from Delhi, Anjum Chopra.

She's a bit like Rahul Dravid -- serene, compact, copybook in style. And it is for this reason that the Indian coach mentioned, before the team left for England, that the number three would be more useful in Tests than in the ODIs.

Like Dravid during the World Cup, Chopra here proved that assessment dead wrong, with a classy maiden century, with 13 fours, in just 127 deliveries.

England's bowlers started reasonably well, keeping opener Mithali Raj in particular strokeless as the ball swung and seamed about early on. At the halfway mark, India had just 75 on the board. But then, Chopra got together with wicket-keeper-opener Anju Jain, and the tide turned for India.

Opening out into smooth strokeplay, the two put on a century partnership before Jain fell to the spin of Clare Connor. Chandrakanta Aheer then partnered Chopra, who by this point had smoothly eased her game into high gear. In fact, barring a muffed stumping (symptomatic of a sub-standard performance by England in the field, Jain being another beneficiary when she was put down while just on three) when on 60, Chopra's performance on the day was absolutely flawless.

Connor produced a dramatic last over, with Shastri losing her wicket trying to heave across the line, Hemlata Kala holing out off the next ball and Chopra, who had crossed over, thumping the third ball to midwicket to give the England spinner a hat-trick -- only the fourth time in women's internationals that the feat has been recorded. Connor ended up with figures of 5/49.

India finished on 213 for seven off its allotted overs.

England's reply got off to the worst possible start, opener Charolotte Edwards getting out in the opening over. Disciplined bowling and tight fielding meant that the first runs off the bat came only in the 8th over -- and the pressure began telling on the chasing side.

Steady batting by captain Karen Smithies, in partnership with Kathryn Leng, took England to 82 for two in the 27th over, but the procession began soon after -- Smithies for 33 and Leng for 35 getting out in quick succession, and none of the remaining batswomen being able to cope with the guile and turn of the Indian spinners.

England crumbled to 127 all out in 44 overs, giving India an 86-run win. This, coupled with the dramatic last over win in the first ODI earlier in the week, mean that India have taken the series 2-0, with one ODI left to play, at Trent Bridge, on Sunday.