India Women's vs. England Women's 1st T20: Harleen Deol of India takes

Former India batsman VVS Laxman describing Harleen Deol's catch as "as spectacular a catch one will ever see on a cricket field."

Although the India Women team lost the first Twenty20 International (T20I) of a three-match series against England Women by 18 runs (DLS method), the match featured a glimpse of wonder in the field from India's Harleen Deol. Amy Ellen Jones' blazing knock was ended by Harleen Deol's absolute stunner on the boundary while fielding at long-off.

The footage, which was shared by England Cricket, instantly went viral on social media, with former India batsman VVS Laxman describing Harleen Deol's catch as "as spectacular a catch one will ever see on a cricket field."

When England was put to bat first, they were already 166 for 4 in the 19th over when Amy Jones, batting on 43 off 26 balls, hit India's Shikha Pandey outside long-off. Harleen leapt across the boundary ropes, tossed the ball inside, and dived forward again to complete one of the best catches in women's cricket history.

Yet even with such fielding prowess, India was unable to defeat England in the rain-soaked contest. Following England's 177/7 in 20 overs, India could only manage 54/3 in 8.4 overs before the game was called off. After that, no play was possible because the DLS method had to be used to determine the game's fate.

Katherine Brunt (1/11) bowled Shafali Verma for a duck on India's second ball, dealing a severe setback to the pursuit.

With an exhilarating 29 off 17, Smriti Mandhana tried her best to keep the tourists in the game, only to succumb to Sciver (1/16) at the end of the Powerplay. And, when skipper Harmanpreet Kaur fell for one to Sarah Glenn (1/6) in the seventh over, leaving India at 47/3, victory appeared improbable.

Further, the rain put a halt to proceedings with India on 54/3 in 8.4 overs. The game was never continued, and the hosts prevailed by virtue of being 18 runs ahead on the DLS criteria. On Sunday, the second match of the series will be played at the County Ground in Hove.

For those who missed Harleen's spectacular catch – the highlight for many Indian fans, watch here: