NEW DELHI: Bharti Fulmalli produced an unbeaten half-century while spinners Radha Yadav and Shreyanka Patil shared seven wickets as India began their ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 preparations with a convincing 26-run win over West Indies in a warm-up match in Cardiff on Monday.Fresh from their historic ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup triumph earlier this year, India delivered a complete performance, posting 179/8 before restricting West Indies to 153/8.Fulmalli was the standout performer with the bat, remaining unbeaten on 56 off 40 balls, while Radha (3/25) and Shreyanka (4/36) spun a web around the Caribbean batters to seal victory.Mandhana-Shafali provide flying startAsked to bat first, India got off to a strong start through openers Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma. The pair added 59 runs and laid the foundation for a competitive total.Mandhana struck 39 off 39 balls, hitting eight boundaries, as India raced to 70/1 in the Powerplay.Reflecting on the opening stand, Mandhana said it was important for the duo to regain momentum after a relatively quiet series.“It was also good for me and Shafali to get back to giving the team strong starts because we would have loved to do that during the series and hadn’t quite managed it. So I think it was important for both of us to put together that 50-plus partnership.”Fulmalli grabs her opportunityAfter a brief middle-order wobble, Fulmalli took charge of the innings. She stitched together a crucial 60-run partnership with Yastika Bhatia, who made 26 before retiring out as part of India’s effort to give multiple batters time in the middle.Fulmalli finished unbeaten on 56, striking six fours and a six to guide India to 179/8.Mandhana was particularly pleased to see the middle order spend valuable time at the crease.“Good to have that, especially because it was really important for the middle order to get some batting time. I thought Bharti played really well, and again, all the bowlers were brilliant in restricting them to 150.”Spinners take controlWest Indies began their chase cautiously, with Deandra Dottin and Shemaine Campbelle adding 63 runs for the opening wicket. However, they managed only 37 runs in the Powerplay and were always behind the required rate.Once Campbelle departed, India’s spinners tightened their grip on the game.Shreyanka was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 4/36, while Radha chipped in with 3/25 as West Indies slipped from a promising position to 103/6.Dottin battled hard for her 41 off 49 balls but fell one run short of a half-century, effectively ending West Indies’ hopes of a successful chase.Selection headache for MandhanaWith Fulmalli, Radha and Shreyanka all making significant contributions, Mandhana admitted that strong performances from multiple players have created healthy competition within the squad ahead of the World Cup.“Very important. They haven’t had a lot of game time coming here to England, and Radha, Shreyanka, and Bharti all had brilliant games. It’s a good headache to have ahead of the World Cup.”“I also feel it’s very important for all 15 players to be in good form because it keeps everyone else under pressure as well.”Adapting to English conditionsThe India captain also spoke about the challenges of playing in England, where conditions can change quickly.“With England, you can never predict too much because the overhead conditions change a lot, and the wicket conditions change along with them.”“But wherever we’ve played over the last two or three years in England, they’ve generally been very good batting surfaces.”For India, the warm-up fixture ticked several boxes. The top order found runs, the middle order got valuable batting time, and the spinners delivered a match-winning performance — an ideal start to their T20 World Cup campaign preparations.
