England faces a significant challenge to avoid defeat in the first Women’s Test at Lord’s after India dominated day two of the four-day fixture. India currently holds a lead of 269 runs in their second innings, having lost only one wicket, placing Charlotte Edwards’ team in a difficult position as day three commences.
The home side’s batting line-up struggled on Saturday, being dismissed for 170. This total came after two collapses, one seeing 3-15 and another 6-39, which undermined their efforts to approach or surpass India’s first-innings score of 285. A key factor in England’s struggles was the performance of India’s seamer, Kranti Gaud, who achieved a five-wicket haul (5-37).
Gaud’s impressive bowling performance made history, as she became the first woman to have her name inscribed on the Lord’s honours board for a five-wicket haul. Her final wicket was secured through a catch by Shafali Verma, adding to the pressure on England.
Following their strong bowling display, India further extended their advantage. They closed day two at 154-1 in their second innings, building on their first-innings lead of 115 runs. Smriti Mandhana was a standout performer with the bat, notching her second half-century of the match, remaining unbeaten on 69.
The partnership between Mandhana and Verma (33) for the first wicket contributed 88 runs. Later, Mandhana and Yastika Bhatia (39no) added an unbroken 66 runs for the second wicket, despite Amy Jones missing a stumping opportunity against Bhatia late in the day.
England’s innings on day two saw them slide from an overnight score of 21-1 to 47-4. Tammy Beaumont was out lbw to Gaud on the first evening. Gaud then dismissed Maia Bouchier (23), caught behind, and bowled Alice Capsey (9). Meanwhile, fellow seamer Sayali Satghare (2-40) trapped captain Heather Knight (6) lbw.
England’s Batting Struggles
A partnership of 84 runs between captain Nat Sciver-Brunt (44) and Amy Jones (52) provided some resistance for England. During this stand, Jones reached her second Test fifty, achieved from 59 balls. However, Jones’ dismissal, caught at short leg, triggered another collapse for the home side.
Gaud secured the crucial wicket of Sciver-Brunt lbw, completing her five-wicket haul. This was aided by a moment of fielding brilliance from Verma, who reacted quickly to catch a thick edge from Lauren Bell (3) just above the turf after Sneh Rana parried the ball.
Off-spinner Rana was responsible for the wickets of Jones and Mady Villiers (10), bowling the latter through the gate. Villiers had previously dismissed India’s captain Harmanpreet Kaur in a similar fashion on day one. The innings concluded when England’s No 11, Lauren Filer (0), was trapped lbw by another off-spinner, Deepti Sharma.
After being bowled out, Sciver-Brunt’s side conceded only four runs across India’s first three overs in their second innings. However, Mandhana’s two pulled fours off Filer quickly changed the tempo. Sophie Ecclestone, who had contributed 11 runs with the bat before being caught behind, was hit for 13 runs in the sixth over, the final over before tea, as Verma lofted and caressed fours.
England surprisingly opted against using spin for the initial part of the evening session. The reintroduction of Ecclestone eventually led to the dismissal of Verma, who was caught at mid-on after a mistimed drive. This, however, was the final wicket to fall on a day where England was largely outplayed.
Looking Ahead to Day Three
The India team is in a strong position to secure back-to-back Test victories against England, following their previous 347-run win in Navi Mumbai in December 2023. England now faces the challenge of achieving the highest run chase to win a Women’s Test, a record currently held by Australia, who chased 198 against England during a 2011 Ashes clash in Sydney.
A record crowd of 15,243 attended day two, witnessing India’s strong performances with both bat and ball, while England struggled in both disciplines. Despite the team’s overall performance, Lauren Bell (0-16) bowled effectively across 11 wicketless overs, including five maidens, after a less precise performance on day one.
In other news, Heather Knight announced her retirement from international cricket after this match, a significant development following other notable retirements this summer. Day three of the Women’s Test between England and India at Lord’s is scheduled to begin at 10.30am on Sunday, with the first ball expected at 11am.
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Source: theguardian.com
Freya Donnelly is the Sports Reporter at News-UK, covering tennis, cricket and athletics with seven years of reporting experience. She reported on Team GB through an Olympic cycle. She holds a degree in Sport and Media from the University of Brighton and completed an NCTJ diploma. Based in Brighton, she plays club cricket in the summer. “Listening is the most underrated skill in sports reporting.”
