The England women's cricket team defeated India by 41-run in the first T20I of the three-match series in Guwahati on Monday.

Earlier, won the toss and elected to field first. With the help of Tammy Beaumont (62), skipper Heather Knight (40) and Danielle Wyatt (35)'s contributions, England scored 160/4 in the stipulated 20 overs.

Chasing the target at the Barsapara stadium in Guwahati Indian side was restricted to a score of 119/6 by the English women bowlers. Shikha Pandey was the top scorer for India with 23 runs (not out).

The remaining two matches of the series will be played on 7th March and 9th March respectively. Meanwhile, in an attempt to popularize women cricket in Assam, the Assam Cricket Association (ACA) had made entry free for the matches, which witnessed excited spectators on Monday.