IND-W eye their third Test win against ENG-W
India started Day 2 of the Test match against England at 410/7 at Dr D Y Patil Sports Academy in Mumbai. With Deepti Sharma (60*) and Pooja Vastrakar (4*) at the crease, team India would have liked to go past the 450-run mark. However, England bowlers Lauren Bell and Sophie Ecclestone had other plans as they picked the remaining three wickets within the first 40 minutes of the day’s play bowling out India for 428 in 104.3 overs. India scored just 18 runs in 10.3 overs before getting bowled out.
Sharma, who was dropped on 62 by Tammy Beaumont standing at short leg, added salt to the wounds of England as she hit the next ball for a four to equal her highest Test score of 66. However, she did not last long as Bell pitched a fraction fuller inviting Sharma to play on the front foot. Her innings of 67 came to an end as she edged one to Ecclestone standing at the first slip. Claiming just the one wicket on Day 1, Ecclestone was determined to put up a better show with the ball. She created a chance against Renuka Singh Thakur but Sophia Dunkley stationed at silly point could not grab it. In the same over though Ecclestone decided to do it all by herself. She clean bowled Thakur (1) and then sent her left spin counterpart Rajeshwari Gayakwad (0) back to the pavilion. Vastrakar remained stranded at the other end on 10.
With 428 runs in the bank, which is India’s second highest Test score in women’s cricket, Indian bowlers had a plenty to play with. Thakur, making her Test debut started the proceedings for India and it did not take much time for her to snap her maiden Test wicket. A sharp inswinging delivery that went through the yawning gap between Sophia Dunkley’s (11) bat and pad crashed on to the stumps as India drew the first blood in the third over of the innings. India’s other speedster Pooja Vastrakar also joined the party as she got rid of England’s captain Heather Knight (11) in the first over of her spell again to an inswinging ball. At 28/2, the visitors were struggling as they trailed by 400 runs. Natalie Sciver-Brunt and Tammy Beaumont tried to consolidate with a 51-run partnership before Vastrakar with her excellent fielding effort at short mid-wicket ran out Beaumont (10). Perhaps Sciver-Brunt underestimated her Mumbai Indians’ teammate’s fielding abilities as she tried to sneak a quick single by pushing the ball to her right. England were in all sorts of trouble having lost three wickets inside 20 overs. Danielle Wyatt (19), who came in to bat next showed some promise but was dismissed by Deepti Sharma in her first over of the spell. The loopy delivery took the bat and pad of Wyatt and found the safe pair of hands of Jemimah Rodrigies at short leg. While Sciver-Brunt was looking unfazed by the wickets falling all around her, she steered her way to her fourth Test half-century.
The visitors lost four wickets for 108 runs but the next six wickets fell in a jiffy for just another 28 runs as they were bowled out for 136 in 35.3 overs. Of the last six wickets, Deepti Sharma accounted for four and ended up with the bowling figures of 5/7 in 5.3 overs, including four maidens. It was her first five-wicket haul in Test cricket. Of the five wickets, the wicket of Amy Jones was quite unfortunate for England. Jones struck one straight to Smriti Mandhana standing at short leg. The ball hit Mandhana’s helmet and then popped in the air to find Shafali Verma standing in leg slip. Often it is said that batters and bowlers hunt in pair but in this case India’s opening pair came together to convert a chance into a brilliant catch. Sharma found an able ally in Sneh Rana, who claimed two scalps, including the big fish Sciver-Brunt. Indian spinners picked seven out of the 10 England wickets. Before the start of the day’s play, the experts hinted at the pitch offering lower bounce than Day 1 and the bowlers would be required to adjust their lengths. Early in the day England bowlers did well to get the last three Indian wickets and later India were outstanding to bowl out England.
Taking a healthy lead of 292 runs, India did not force a follow on as they opted to bat again. 24 hours later England again found themselves bowling and fielding in the sweltering heat. India’s decision to bat again could be based on two factors; first they did not want to bat in the fourth innings (assuming England set a target) given the turning nature of the pitch and second, before the Australia Test that will be played from December 21 to 24 at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, they wanted to give their batters more batting practice.
It was business as usual for India’s opening pair in Verma and Mandhana (26) as they put together 61 runs before the latter was dismissed by Ecclestone in the 13th over. Shafali Verma (33) and Yastika Bhatia (9), who scored 66 in the first innings was promoted to number three, fell in quick succession in 16th and 17th overs, courtesy Charlie Dean and Ecclestone respectively. Dean caused more damage as she dismissed Jemimah Rodrigues (27), Deepti Sharma (20), and Sneh Rana (0). Rodrigues and Sharma, who had scored half centuries in the first innings could not convert their start to a big score.
Towards the end of the day’s play captain Harmanpreet Kaur (44*) and Pooja Vastrakar (17*) carried India home with no further damage. India added 186 runs to their lead of 292 to take the overall lead to 478. For England on Day 3 their first task will be to bowl out India (if India does not declare the innings) and then bat their best to chase the target. A draw looks unlikely. India win is certainly on the cards provided England does not pull off any miracle.