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Lord’s, London: India remains four wickets away from securing their win in the historic first Women’s Test at Lord’s Cricket Ground at the end of day three. After Lauren Bell’s start with the ball, the Indian middle order went ballistic with Yastika Bhatia adding her name to the honors board with a century, backed by late smashes from Richa Ghosh to set England a target of 457. With the ball, India removed the first half of the English batting order, and all but sealed the game by leaving England at 130/6 with a day to go.
Lauren Bell provided England the perfect start to the day by ending Smriti Mandhana’s aspirations to go on the Lord’s honors board in just the third over of the morning. Using the movement in the windier morning, Bell pitched outside leg into Mandhana’s blindspot, just nicking it on the flick to a diving Amy Jones behind the stumps, ending her innings on 70.
But Bell was not done just yet. A late release and swing zipped between Jemimah Rodrigues’ bat and pad into the off stump.
Despite the claw back from Bell, she began losing control of her swing, and bowled two four byes past Jones in her spell’s final over. It didn’t help England that Yastika Bhatia went about her business, attacking Sophie Ecclestone on the other end to still keep up India’s momentum. She crossed her fifty, and took charge of the commanding lefty role from Mandhana. Harmanpreet Kaur also looked like joining her on the push, with the lead extended over 300, but a low remaining Ecclestone arm ball had her LBW after England reviewed Anna Harris’ not out signal.
The heatwave continued being a nuisance, leading to multiple waterbreaks and even Bhatia needing an impromptu massage from the physio to treat a cramp. Nonetheless, the keeper-batter was just not stopping, chipping away at the spinners, and getting India a 365-run lead heading into lunch.
Bhatia began the afternoon by carving her name into history. Back-to-back glances past point for four in the first over of Issy Wong saw her get to her ton, making her the first centurion in Women’s Tests at the Home of Cricket. The boundaries to get to the century laid out India’s clear intent to blitz and set an impossible total for England. This of course would lead to some brash play, and Deepti Sharma fell victim to it, getting beaten trying her trademark sweep by Ecclestone for an LBW.
Bhatia’s rev up eventually ended her innings. Coming down the track on Ecclestone, Bhatia mistimed it high and to the hands of Mady Villiers in extra cover, ending her innings on 113 as she made the proud walk back to the Long Room. Richa Ghosh entered doing the same, fitting for her usual finisher character, and took India’s lead beyond 400.
Ecclestone then had her moment of history as she completed her fifer by bowling out Sneh Rana, becoming the first Englishwoman to join the Lord’s Test honors board. Ghosh stayed in white ball mode, joined by Sayali Satghare, attacking at run a ball, making the Indian lead look scarier run by run for England. Ghosh completed her half-century, and skipper Kaur immediately called her batters back in to declare the innings at 341/7, setting up a target of 457 for England.
Following the early tea, Kranti Gaud followed up on her historic fifer in the first innings by starting the second, toppling Tammy Beaumont’s bails for a golden duck on her final time representing England. An end that she would want to forget, but a career to remember as she was met with a guard of honor by the Indian team, which would not be the last one India would do. Satghare got the second from the pavilion end in Maia Bouchier, using her dibbly-dobby inswing to pinpoint the back pad for an LBW.
Rana maintained her late found rhythm from the first innings, bowling a desperate looking Nat Sciver-Brunt, who had just survived an LBW shout following a review. A second guard of honor came for Heather Knight who was dismissed by Gaud. Attempting a block, the ball edged and bounced off her pads falling into the hand of a diving Ghosh at short leg, calling time on England’s most capped player’s career. Alice Capsey and Jones did not move on the backfoot, pushing on against the rotating bowling. Capsey looked promising, building confidence in the middle, but could do nothing against a Satghare inswing, losing her stumps and England their fifth.
Jones and Villiers made a rugged fight back, grabbing a fifty-run partnership and taking England past the point to avoid the worst defeat in Women’s Test. Rana brought an end to the sixth wicket stand, when Villiers blasted the ball right into the hand of a seemingly unaware Ghosh at silly point, who painfully held on. Jones got to her fifty, taking the game into the final day at 130/6, with the chase out of the question.
What they said
Sophie Ecclestone, England: (On having her name on the honors board) “It’s obviously pretty special. I came back into the changing room and someone wrote it (her name) in tape, what it’s going to look like. So obviously it was pretty special to see that in the Lord’s changing room forever now.”
(On Tammy Beaumont and Heather Knight’s retirement) “Pretty special for them, their careers they’ve had. But to me, especially Heather, she gave me my debut cap and the amount that she’s done for me, she’s rode the highs and lows of me over the last 10 years. So, yeah, I’m forever grateful for what she’s done for me.”
Yastika Bhatia, India: (On her road to recovery) “I think it’s unbelievable because like six months ago I was in a very different place and if you would have told me that I would have my name on the Honours Board I wouldn’t have believed it.”
“But I think it’s all like small steps to that place and like I’ve worked really hard and my family’s support is there since like my beginning. So, I think all of that really paid off today and it’s a really great feeling.”
(On inspiring the next generation with her century) “It’s a great feeling. Like I always believe that we are at a good position to inspire young girls and boys. So, I think that it’s our responsibility as well to like have a good performance and carry ourselves well on and off the field.
“So, I think it does inspire other cricketers, other players. So, I think it’s a big thing.”
