India ended the second day of the one-off Test match against England in the driver’s seat with a 292-run advantage after the first innings thanks to a brilliant spell of 5/7 by Deepti Sharma.
England’s primary spinner Sophie Ecclestone took two of India’s final three wickets to set the tone early in the day. After India was dismissed for 428, England hoped to prolong the battle with the bat, but in vain.
Renuka Singh outwitted Sophia Dunkley’s defence, and Pooja Vastrakar took out Heather Knight and Tammy Beaumont to give India an early advantage. Nat Sciver-Brunt, with her flowing strokeplay, launched a bit of a counterattack to lead England in the fight.
Danielle Wyatt joined Sciver-Brunt in pulling a similar ruse for partnership wherein the two attempted to go on the offensive.
Sharma’s introduction into the bowling attack was a decisive blow from India’s side. The off-spinners managed to effect a spectacular collapse that saw England lose their final seven wickets for a mere 28 runs.
While Wyatt was caught at short-leg, Amy Jones was taken aback by a short leg deflection. The other England batters were unable to counter the lines and lengths due to the abrupt turn and occasional lack of bounce.
Sharma tore through the lower order with Sneh Rana who picked up two wickets with England all out for 136.
Despite having a large lead, India choose not to force a follow-on and instead launched an offensive with the bat. Before England’s spinners settled in, Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma put up a 61-run opening stand.
Shafali holed out to long on an attempt at a big hit while Mandhana was out fending to short leg off Ecclestone. Some extra bounce came into play as Jemimah Rodrigues and Yastika Bhatia were forced to fend to short leg.
Charlie Dean removed Sharma, who had failed to sweep, and Rana was bowled on her first ball as the England spinner finished the day with four wickets.
Harmanpreet Kaur’s unbeaten 44 and her 53-run partnership with Vastrakar sustained India’s batting efforts after Shubha Satheesh was ruled out due to a fracture in her finger.
India finished the day strongly as the lead swelled to a whopping 478 on day two for stumps.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!