Categories: Sports

Recent Match Report – India (W) vs England (W) Only Test 2023/24

India 428 (Shubha 69, Rodrigues 68, Deepti 67, Bhatia 66, Bell 3-67, Ecclestone 3-91) and 186 for 6 dec (Harmanpreet 44*, Dean 4-68) beat England 136 (Sciver-Brunt 59, Deepti 5-7) and 131 (Deepti 4-32, Vastrakar 3-23) by 347 runs

Dominated with the bat and destroyed with the ball by the third morning, England didn’t make it past lunch as India, led by Deepti Sharma – again – and Pooja Vastrakar, completed a record 347-run victory at Navi Mumbai’s DY Patil Stadium.

While Deepti’s remarkable 5 for 7 had sent England into a tailspin on the second day, it was Vastrakar who sparked their downfall on Saturday after India declared overnight on 186 for 6. Deepti finished them off, taking nine wickets in all to add to her first-innings half-century for Player-of-the-Match honours.

Given that the highest successful fourth-innings run chase in women’s Tests is Australia’s 198 for 3 to beat England in Sydney in 2011, to call it a 479-run “target” seemed trite and Vastrakar’s early inroads ensured that.

It was India Women’s first Test win at home against England in six attempts, the margin of victory the largest by runs in women’s Tests, and was all wrapped up in an extended morning session on the third day.

After Renuka Thakur plucked out Tammy Beaumont with a ball that held its line to beat the outside edge and peg back off stump with just 27 runs on the board, Vastrakar had an out-of-sorts Sophia Dunkley slicing straight to gully and easily taken by substitute fielder Harleen Deol, on for Shubha Satheesh, who scored 69 on international debut in India’s first innings but didn’t bat in the second because of a broken finger.

That put England in familiar territory in this match (they were 28 for 2 when bowled out for 136 in their first innings to concede a lead of 292) at 37 for 2. And, on the very next ball, Vastrakar removed Nat Sciver-Brunt – the only England batter to offer any resistance in the first innings – with a beauty that nipped back in from a perfect length outside off, went through the gate and crashed into the stumps.

When Vastrakar got one to hold its line from outside off and draw an outside edge from Heather Knight, England slumped to 68 for 4.

Deepti then orchestrated the procession, flummoxing Danni Wyatt with a fantastic offbreak taken at slip and removing Amy Jones via a loose pull to midwicket to get at the England tail. She removed Kate Cross with one that turned ferociously from outside off to peg back leg stump and lured Lauren Filer down the pitch with the flight on one that kept low after turning in and pinged middle stump.

In between whiles, Rajeshwari Gayakwad bowled Sophie Ecclestone, then had Lauren Bell caught simply by Jemimah Rodrigues at silly point, the last wicket to fall. The latter sparked wild celebrations for the home side, who will be looking to bottle this feeling – and form – for use in their next Test, starting against Australia at Wankhede Stadium on Thursday.

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