Overlooked by the Women’s Premier League (WPL) franchises for the inaugural season, England’s Danni Wyatt served a timely reminder to the teams ahead of the December 9 auction, with a stroke-filled 75 to help the visitors bag a clinical 38-run win in the series opener on Wednesday.

On a true Wankhede track, Wyatt first held England’s innings from a collapse after being reduced to 2 for 2, and later lit up the evening with the 47-ball knock to propel the side to a massive 197 for 6, their second-highest score against India, who despite Shafali Varma’s 42-ball 52, fell short in the end.

England’s massive total got the much-needed push from the 138-run stand for the third wicket between Wyatt and Nat Sciver-Brunt, who also slammed an equally productive 77 off 53 balls. For Nat, it was a sort of homecoming after being Mumbai Indians’ Ms. Reliable in the inaugural WPL.

Wyatt reckoned that her partner’s experience of playing in Mumbai also helped their partnership to flourish, and came at the right time for England after the early strikes from Renuka Singh.

“Nat’s just so calm, we don’t really talk much out there in the middle. We have played with each other a lot, (I have) batted a lot with Nat. I know what her (scoring) areas are. She is a quality player, scores runs for fun especially here in Mumbai. The partnership was needed at the time we did it,” Wyatt said.

Wyatt, who became only the third woman – after Harmanpreet Kaur and Suzie Bates – and the first player across gender from England to play 150 T20Is, made a seamless return after seven weeks off, having withdrawn from the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) citing fatigue at the end of the English summer.

Wyatt topped the charts with the bat in the Charlotte Edwards Cup, England’s premier domestic T20 tournament, and the women’s Hundred. She was roped in by Perth Scorchers for the WBBL before opting out for a break.

“I had seven weeks off with no cricket which was really nice. I haven’t done that for a few years,” Wyatt said during the post-match conference in Mumbai on Wednesday.

Wyatt returned to training at Loughborough before flying to Oman with the England side for a two-week camp before the India tour.

“(It was an) enjoyable two weeks with the girls and we did what we could. We made use of the outfield and lots of net bowlers and (had) similar conditions to what we faced here. (I am) feeling prepared for this series,” she said.

With the WPL auction, scheduled in Mumbai on December 9, the same day as the second T20I, Wyatt said she was hurt after failing to find any takers in the previous auction, but expressed her desire to be a part of the league in the second edition.

“It (WPL auction) did cross my mind a few times in the morning when people spoke about it though. I was pretty disappointed last (auction). But I have completely changed my mind, so now I am just like I have done all I can, had a good summer, performed tonight, so what will be will be,” she said.

“(I) would love to be a part of the next WPL, will see what happens,” she added.