India beat ECB’s Development XI by seven wickets in Chelmsford on Monday, taking the first step in their build-up to the women’s tour of England and the Women’s T20 World Cup. The warm-up fixture was the first of two practice games before the three-match T20I tour of England begins later in May 2026.

The new-ball spell set the tone. Renuka Singh Thakur, Kranti Gaud and Arundhati Reddy found swing early and put the hosts under pressure, with Reddy doing the heaviest damage. She took two wickets in her first over and reduced ECB’s Development XI to 16/3 in the third over, removing Tilly Kesteven and Bethan Gammon off consecutive deliveries.

Ariana Dowse and Florence Miller steadied the innings with a 52-run stand off 49 balls, but the recovery never fully took hold. Miller fell two runs short of a fifty, and Joanne Gardner, along with skipper Sophia Smale, carried the side to 154/6. It was a total that reflected both the wobble at the top and the effort that followed, but it also left India with a chase that tested the top order rather than the result.

Smriti Mandhana wasted little time, hitting 15 runs in the first over of India’s reply. She and Shafali Verma gave the innings its early shape before Yastika Bhatia joined the assault, and the pair added 77 runs off 42 balls. Verma reached a 25-ball half-century before retiring out, while Bhatia fell just short of her own fifty. India’s batting depth did the rest, with the chase finished with three overs to spare.

Harmanpreet Kaur’s absence gave Bharti Fulmali a chance to bat at number 4, and the lineup still looked comfortable as the runs came quickly through the middle overs. That matters because these warm-ups are less about the scoreline than about confirming roles, rhythm and options before the serious fixtures begin. For India, the first answer was a clear one: the seam attack looks sharp, the top order is in touch and the side has already settled into match mode before the tour proper starts.