India Women secured a 26-run victory over West Indies Women on Monday in their opening warm-up match for the 2026 Women’s T20 World Cup at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff. The Indian squad posted 179/8 in their 20 overs after a rain-delayed start, subsequently restricting the West Indies chase to 153/8 to close out the win.
Stand-in skipper Smriti Mandhana opened the innings with a 39-ball 39 to give India early momentum. The batting lineup then suffered a sudden middle-order collapse before Bharti Fulmali stepped in to stabilize the innings, according to the Olympics portal. Fulmali delivered an unbeaten 56 off 40 balls to push India to a highly competitive total.
The West Indies response started strong, backed by a verified 63-run opening partnership between Deandra Dottin and Shemaine Campbelle. Campbelle repeatedly punished the ball away during her stint at the crease before retiring out after the ninth over. Dottin continued the aggressive approach, finishing with 49 runs before the Indian bowling attack took control of the match.
Indian spinners Radha Yadav and Shreyanka Patil completely dismantled the remaining West Indies batting order. The duo combined for seven total wickets, breaking the chase wide open when Patil struck twice in the 11th over.
Despite the loss, the West Indies saw a standout performance from 39-year-old Afy Fletcher, who is currently the oldest active player competing at the 2026 tournament. Fletcher took 4/23 during her spell, stalling India’s scoring rate through the middle overs before Fulmali’s late surge put the game out of reach.