A maiden 5-wicket haul from pacer Kranti Gaud and a solid, unbeaten half-century by Smriti Mandhana placed India in a commanding position on Day 2 of the one-off women’s Test against England at Lord’s. At stumps, India reached 154 for one in their second innings, stretching their overall lead to a massive 269 runs.
The foundation for India’s dominance was laid earlier in the day by Kranti Gaud, who finished with figures of 5 for 37.
Starting the morning session, Kranti Gaud struck in her very first over by removing Maia Bouchier for 23, caught behind by wicketkeeper Yastika Bhatia. She followed it up by clean-bowling Alice Capsey with a delivery that beat the bat to rattle the off-stump. When Sayali Satghare trapped Heather Knight leg-before, England were reeling at 47 for four.
A resilient 84-run partnership for the fifth wicket between captain Nat Sciver-Brunt (44) and Amy Jones (52) briefly halted the slide. Jones played fluently, reaching her fifty off 59 balls, while Sciver-Brunt provided steady support.
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However, Sneh Rana broke the stand when Jones caught a leading edge to short leg. This trigger caused a spectacular collapse, with England losing their final five wickets for just 33 runs to be bundled out for 170, handing India a 115-run first-innings advantage. Gaud returned to dismiss Lauren Bell to complete her memorable fifer, while Satghare and Rana picked up two wickets apiece.
Armed with a heavy lead, India’s openers started confidently. Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma stitched together an 88-run opening partnership to wear down the hosts. Verma played the role of the aggressor, hitting several forceful boundaries before falling for 33, caught by substitute fielder Emma Lamb off Sophie Ecclestone’s bowling.
Mandhana, however, remained rock solid, hitting elegant cover drives and a notable straight six off Ecclestone. She brought up her second successive half-century of the match, remaining unbeaten on 69 off 124 balls.
Mandhana found another stable partner in Yastika Bhatia, who scored a brisk, unbeaten 39. The pair added an ongoing 66 runs for the second wicket, frustrating the English bowlers through the entire afternoon and final sessions, completely shutting the home team out of the day’s play.
India will start the 3rd day at 154/1 (42).
(With PTI inputs)
Where to watch?
The women’s one-off Test match between India and England at the Lord’s Stadium is being broadcasted on the SONY LIV app/website as well as the Sony Sports network TV channels.
