Indian women's team is 4 wickets away from a historic Test win at Lord's. Chasing 457, England were 130/6 at the end of day three.
Lord's | The Indian women's cricket team is on the brink of a memorable victory over England in the one-off Test match being played at the historic Lord's ground. At the end of the third day's play, India is just 4 wickets away from victory, while England still needs 327 runs.
This is the first time a women's Test match is being played at Lord's, often called the Mecca of Cricket, and the Indian team is fully prepared to make this occasion special.
Chasing a massive target of 457 runs for victory, the England team has scored 130 runs for the loss of 6 wickets by the end of the third day. The host team is in a precarious situation, and India's victory is considered almost certain.
This match is also historic because it is the first time a women's Test match is being held at the Lord's ground. The Indian team will want to win this match and write its name in golden letters in the annals of history. If India wins this match, it will be their fourth Test victory against England.
After losing the toss and being put in to bat first, the Indian team scored 285 runs in their first innings. The team did not have a good start, losing 2 wickets for 37 runs.
After that, Smriti Mandhana steadied the team with a 64-run partnership with Jemimah Rodrigues and a crucial 89-run partnership for the fourth wicket with captain Harmanpreet Kaur. Mandhana missed her century, scoring 83 runs with 12 boundaries, while captain Kaur played an innings of 58 runs. Deepti Sharma also contributed an important 57 runs. For England, Sophie Ecclestone took 3 wickets.
In reply to India's 285, the entire England team was bowled out for just 170 runs in their first innings. The host team had lost their 4 wickets for just 47 runs.
Captain Nat Sciver-Brunt (44) and Amy Jones (52) tried to stabilize the team by adding 84 runs for the fifth wicket, but they could not take the team to a big score.
Playing her debut Test for India, Kranti Gaud bowled brilliantly, taking 5 wickets for 37 runs and breaking the back of England's batting.
After gaining a crucial lead of 115 runs in the first innings, India declared their second innings at 341 for 7. Thus, England was set a mountain-like target of 457 runs to win.
Yastika Bhatia created history in the second innings. She played a magnificent innings of 113 runs with the help of 14 fours. She has become the first female cricketer to score a Test century at Lord's.
Smriti Mandhana also played a fine innings of 70 runs and added 88 runs for the first wicket with Shafali Verma (33). In the end, Richa Ghosh scored an unbeaten 50 off just 52 balls with 8 fours. For England, Sophie Ecclestone took 5 wickets in this innings as well.
The host team had a very poor start chasing the huge target. The team got its first jolt at a score of 2 runs when Tammy Beaumont (0) got out. Soon, 5 England batsmen were back in the pavilion for just 59 runs.
However, after that, Maddie Villiers (26) and Amy Jones (unbeaten 52) extended India's wait for victory to the fourth day by adding 67 runs for the sixth wicket. For India, Sayali Satghare, Kranti Gaud, and Sneh Rana have taken 2 wickets each.
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