Here’s Raf Nicholson’s day two report:
The lead is 478. There are two days to go. Join me tomorrow at 4am to watch the tea-leaves squirm. Bye!
Updated
I was waiting to see if there was a response from England, but TNT have gone over to the highlights of England men’s T20 in the West Indies instead. Let’s just assume that it wasn’t a great day at the office, but they’re going to take the positives. A hell of a half day for England, a Christmas lights meltdown, after they wrapped up the tail quickly, and made a decent enough start.
But from there to here, they got themselves in a complete tangle against an excellent India – losing their last eight wickets for 57 runs, their last six for ten. They included a runout and a bizarre ricochet catch off the helmet. NSB was a shining light with the bat, until she decided to cut one she shouldn’t; and Charlie Dean finished with four for 68 in a cracking spell with the ball; but England continued to drop catches and the writing is very much on the wall.
India were sensational, bubbling with energy and skill, holding on to every catch. And they rattled along with the bat in the second innings, once they decided not to make England follow-on, never letting Ecclestone settle. Deepti Sharma has been outstanding, five for seven in just 5.3 overs, decimating England with bounce and turn, and an accomplished 20 not out in the second – to follow 67 in the first innings.
Updated
Deepti Sharma is being interviewed after her day to remember but I’m afraid my translation skills are useless. However, she looks delighted, mirrored shades balanced on her short black hair.
Stumps: India (186-6) lead England by 478
42nd over: India 186-6 (Harmanpreet 44, Vastrakar 17) Vastrakar brings up the fifty partnership with a peachy drive through the covers for four – and that’s it! Stumps, the lead 478, the day India’s, the match in their palms.
41st over: India 181-6 (Harmanpreet 44, Vastrakar 12) I wonder, will India declare in the morning – the lead is currently 473. Will they push for 500? More? There is another Test coming up against Australia next week so they don’t want to knacker their batters, for whom back to back Tests will be a unusual and exhausting experience.
40th over: India 179-6 (Harmanpreet 43, Vastrakar 11) England lose another review – opting to to appeal a not out lbw against Harmanpreet which pitches well outside and would have continued in that trajectory. Nice shot from Harmanpreet, who leans back to cut with aplomb.
39th over: India 172-6 (Harmanpreet 36, Vastrakar 11) England review an lbw against Vastrakar – but DRS shows a spike from bat before pad.
38th over: India 170-6 (Harmanpreet 35, Vastrakar 10) Just a couple off Dean’s over. We must be coming close to the end of the day – but I’m not sure how close.
37th over: India 168-6 (Harmanpreet 33, Vastrakar 10) Harmanpreet tucks into Ecclestone again, a couple of fours in the over. One waved through mid-on off a full toss, one sent past Heather Knight at slip. I wonder if it is time for some NSB? Unless Knight is hoping to save her for the match-saving two-day double century on the weekend?
36th over: India 159-6 (Harmanpreet 24, Vastrakar 10) Dean wheels through her 16th over. The lead now 451. Really enjoying the commentary team on the telly – I don’t actually know who they are apart from Charles Dagnall – perhaps OBO watchers can enlighten me – they’re just intelligent and really interesting.
35th over: India 156-6 (Harmanpreet 22, Vastrakar 9) Ecclestone’s first two balls helped for four by Harmanpreet: the first rocked through midwicket, the second angled through the covers. A pause while the groundsman comes on and thuds the red soil of the bowling crease with a heavy metal pole. The commentators remind us that in neither country do women play domestic red ball cricket.
34th over: India 147-6 (Harmanpreet 13, Vastrakar 9) Vastrakar isn’t hanging around any more, biffs Dean down the ground for four.
Updated
33rd over: India 140-6 (Harmanpreet 11, Vastrakar 4) Stranglehold broken, with a single to Harmanpreet and then a cut through cover point for four by Vastrakar off Ecclestone.
Updated
32nd over: India 135-6 (Harmanpreet 10, Vastrakar 0) A third maiden in a row. India don’t need the runs remember – the lead is 428.
31st over: India 135-6 (Harmanpreet 10, Vastrakar 0) Another maiden, this time from Ecclestone, the players now towered over by their shadows.
And farewell, international cricket.
A credible report out of India suggested the all-powerful BCCI and secretary Jay Shah are deep in discussions of an expanded IPL, to be played in the September and October window, and potentially held in another format such as T10 or The Hundred #AUSvPAK https://t.co/styngM83c4
— Daniel Brettig 🏏 (@danbrettig) December 15, 2023
30th over: India 135-6 (Harmanpreet 10, Vastrakar 0) Dean reels through another maiden.
29th over: India 135-6 (Harmanpreet 10, Vastrakar 0) Seven wickets lost on the first day, 19 (and counting) lost on the second. Sophie Ecclestone returns, two from it.
28th over: India 133-6 (Harmanpreet 8, Vastrakar 0) The hattrick ball isn’t one to remember, but the over is. Dean now has 12-1-44-4.
WICKET! Rana b Dean 0 (India 129-6)
Two in two! Rana gone for a golden duck, a gem of a ball which floats in, spins sharply, and beats the floating bat of Rana.
WICKET! Deepti lbw Dean 20 (India 133-5)
A third wicket for Charlie Dean! Deepti drops to her knees to sweep, misses and is hit, I think, in the groin. Not out on the field but, after deliberation, England ask the question, and they’re right. The ball is going in with the arm – and ball tracking says OUT.
27th over: India 129-4 (Harmanpreet 8, Deepti 16) Beautiful afternoon light at Mumbai, but its not helping England’s predicament. Filer nudged here and there.
26th over: India 124-4 (Harmanpreet 5, Deepti 14) Deepti sweeps Dean with a flourish, and beats the chasing Filer to the rope. If India were to declare now, this would already be the biggest target ever set in women’s cricket (currently 416).
25th over: India 117-4 (Harmanpreet 5, Deepti 7) Ecclestone replaced after that expensive over - by Filer. Hair scraped into a bun, she sprints in. Deepti – woman with the Midas touch – whafts her leg side for four.
WICKET! Jemimah c Beaumont b Dean 27 (India 109-4)
Jemimah furious with herself after propping forward to one that bounces hard off the pitch, giving Beaumont her third catch of the innings at short leg.
24th over: India 109-4 (Harmanpreet 4, Deepti 0) Very nicely done by Charlie Dean, exploiting the bounce off the pitch. Jemimah must go, but not before one more effortless cover drive for four.
23rd over: India 105-3 (Jemimah 23, Harmanpreet 4) The hundred up with an exquisite cover drive by Jemimah, all angles and flair. Ecclestone continues to be expensive, that over going for nine.
Hindsight and all that, but how do England seem to always manage to get selection that little bit wrong?
— Raf Nicholson (@RafNicholson) December 15, 2023
Trent Bridge, 2023 - “We’ll only need 1 spinner.” Gardner & Ecclestone dominate
Mumbai, 2023 - “nah, we won’t need another batter.” 135-9…#INDvENG
22nd over: India 96-3 (Jemimah 16, Harmanpreet 4) Ooof, lots of turn for Dean who has Hamanpreet flummoxed. A maiden. On a pastel orange chair around the boundary, Deepti Sharma, destroyer of England dreams, adjusts her arm sleeves as she waits to bat.
21st over: India 92-3 (Jemimah 16, Harmanpreet 4) Jemimah biffed in the grill as she gets down to sweep Ecclestone but is done by the spin. She nails it next time though – lovely shot for four. So impressive the way India have gone after Ecclestone here, not letting her do what she’s done to so many sides before and overawe them with her presence (as well her turn and control).
Updated
20th over: India 92-3 (Jemimah 12, Harmanpreet 4) Shadows starting to creep across the pitch, nice background of chatter in the stands. Dean wheels away, India rotate the strike.
19th over: India 88-3 (Jemimah 10, Harmanpreet 2) Sumptuous cover drive by Jemimah off Ecclestone for four.
18th over: India 83-3 (Jemimah 6, Harmanpreet 1) Nice by Dean, but four byes scurry past everything to the rope.
Hello James Waller! “Just catching up on a break from work. Saying that session did not go well for England an understatement but without TV or radio struggling to get a picture of whether poor batting, amazing bowling or perhaps tough conditions. Can you shed any light?”
A bit of everything – brilliant India, a turning pitch, excellent fielding and pressure, but also England went into freefall – going back to balls they shouldn’t have, a bit rabbit in the headlights.
17th over: India 77-3 (Jemimah 5, Harmanpreet 0) A wicket maiden for Ecclestone, and substantial turn for Ecclestone to scoop up Yastika. Nice fight back by England – just a shame the deficit is nearly 400.
Updated
WICKET! Yastika c Beaumont b Ecclestone 9 (India 77-3)
Ah! The turning pitch showing its daemons. Goes back to one that pops up and into the hands of the pocket rocket.
16th over: India 77-2 (Yastika 8, Jemimah 5) Nicely bowled by Dean, who deserved that wicket. Almost has another when Jemimah turns one over the clutching palms of Beaumont at short leg.
WICKET! Shafali c Ecclestone b Dean 33 (India 71-2)
One blow too many, into the hands of Ecclestone at long on.
15th over: India 71-1 (Shafali Verma 33, Yastika 8) A couple knocked off Ecclestone.
14th over: India 69-1 (Shafali Verma 32, Yastika 7) A favoured Yastika’s sweep for four to start Dean’s over, but she’s lucky to survive a quicker ball that nearly goes straight through. The Indian lead, incidentally, 361.
13th over: India 62-1 (Shafali Verma 31, Yastika 1) An eventful over from Ecclestone – the first ball of her second spell is smacked for six by Shafali – just as the first ball of her first spell was by Mandhana, but she comes back to snaffle Mandhana but there isn’t any celebration, other than a stony faced pump for Beaumont’s efforts.
WICKET! Mandhana c Beaumont b Ecclestone 26 (India 61-1)
England hold on to one! Super catch by Tammy Beaumont at short leg, poached out of Mandhana’s pocket.
12th over: India 52-0 (Shafali Verma 21, Mandhana 25) And so another catch goes down, English hope seeping out of the not very full stadium. Shafali flicks poor old Charlie Dean to midwicket where Sophie Dunkley is waiting, but can’t get low enough, or fast enough, and the ball flies through– the eighth catch put down in the match by England. India didn’t drop one – though they weren’t out in the field for too long…
11th over: India 50-0 (Shafali Verma 21, Mandhana 25) Cross bustles in, gleaming effort. Restricts India to a couple of runs and the batters seem to have calmed in their aim to bash a boundary at will.
10th over: India 48-0 (Shafali Verma 20, Mandhana 24) Dean rattles through another over, we get news that Satheesh Shubha has sustained a hairline fracture to a finger on her left hand.
That collapse nearly broke my chart!! pic.twitter.com/KwtB0O4MmP
— CRICKETher 🏏 (@crickether) December 15, 2023
9th over: India 47-0 (Shafali Verma 19, Mandhana 24) Cross again, and Verma bashes one through the covers for four.
8th over: India 39-0 (Shafali Verma 13, Mandhana 22) Lots of enthusiastic geeing up in the field by England. Good effort, fake it till you make it. One turns down the leg side, too much for Jones, and it rattles down to the rope for four byes.
Key event
7th over: India 34-0 (Shafali Verma 13, Mandhana 21) A double bowling change as Kate Cross replaces the excellent Bell. Shafali given out lbw on the field, but she reviews almost straight away and sure enough ball tracking shows the ball merrily flying past the stumps. Cross looks distraught, Knight shows admirable sang froid.
Updated
6th over: India 31-0 (Shafali Verma 11, Mandhana 20) Lights, camera, bang: Shafali decides to take on bowling change Charlie Dean and skips down the pitch and powers her over long on for six.
Updated
5th over: India 25-0 (Shafali Verma 5, Mandhana 20) Shafali Verma gets off the mark with four whistling through gully. But Bell is otherwise excellent and she has to make do with just a single from the rest of the over.
4th over: India 20-0 (Shafali Verma 0, Mandhana 20) A large stride, a curve of the bat and Ecclestone’s first ball is again dispatched to the rope by Mandhana, this time for four. Another follows, as she rocks back and cuts with panache.
An email! Lovely to hear from you Swami. “As an India fan, I was desperately hoping that India would be able to bowl England out for around 250...Looks the pitch is taking much more turn on day 2." Yes. If India had enforced, I reckon they could have bowled shell-shocked England out by stumps.
3rd over: India 12-0 (Shafali Verma 0, Mandhana 12) A drop! By Knight, again, at slip as Verma prods at a beauty. Sub optimal. Another edge next ball that falls short as Verma is opened up like tin of sardines. Fabulous bowling by Bell.
Mandhana hits her first ball of the innings for SIX
2nd over: India 11-0 (Shafali Verma 0, Mandhana 11) Heather Knight calls for the big beast at the other end – and Sophie Ecclestone is ready, in her trademark sunglasses. But so is Mandhana, who knows the danger, and lofts her beautifully over long on for SIX! Four follows two balls later when Wyatt fumbles on the boundary rope.
Key event
1st over: India 0-0 (Shafali Verma 0, Mandhana 0) Lauren Bell, light blue nail varnish, blond plait, opens the bowling and – in a moment of light relief for England – it’s a maiden.
India bat again with a lead of 292- England saved from the follow on
After 40 minutes of madness, we start again.
Deepti Sharma took just 33 balls against England to claim her maiden Test match five-for.
— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) December 15, 2023
It's only the second time an India player has scored a half-century and taken five wickets in an innings in a women's Test match.#INDvENG pic.twitter.com/xNibn15C3Z
Updated
England lose six for ten
Is anyone else out there? Did I really just watch that? From 126-4, with NSB well set and trusty sidekick Amy Jones at the other end, to 136 all out – a dropped trifle on the antique rug on Christmas day.
Deepti Sharma five for seven!
35.3 overs: England 136 all out (Bell 0) Incredible figures of: 5.3-4- 5-7 for Deepti. Harmanpreet sprints off the field to check if India are going to enforce the follow-on or not. They’re going to take an early tea in Mumbai anyway and England have 20 mins to lick their wounds and look down the well of a deficit of 292.
Updated
WICKET! Filer b Deepti Sharma 5 (England 136 all out)
Fabulous! Five wickets for Deepti Sharma, Filer doesn’t know whether it Tuesday or Thursday, pushes forward and the ball kisses the varnish of off stump.
35th over: England 136-9 (Filer 5, Bell 0) Bell dances down the pitch to Filer, delighted at surviving four balls against Gayakwad.
34th over: England 135-9 (Filer 4, Bell 0) A wicket maiden, with only the two young fast bowlers left to fashion some icing sugar onto of the bonfire.
Updated
WICKET! Cross c and b Deepti (WICKET 135-9)
Cross accepts the kind invitation to drive and Deepti, waiting, crouching, takes the catch with both hands low down before doing a backwards roll.
33rd over: England 135-8 (Cross 1, Filer 4) England have now lost four for five in 20 deliveries. A bold shot by Filer who marches in and stands and slaps Rana down the ground for four.
Updated
WICKET! Dean lbw Rana 0 (WICKET 131-8)
Dean reviews – because at this stage why not – but DRS shows her going for a pull and being hit on the top of leg, very much in line.
Updated
32nd over: England 130-7 (Cross 0, Dean 0) A maiden from Deepti Sharma, India bubbling and circling like a drinks party.
31st over: England 130-7 (Cross 0, Dean 0) One of the more disastrous post-drinks sessions of recent memory. England’s goose smelling pretty cooked now with NSB gone.
WICKET! Sciver-Brunt b Rana 59 (England 130-7)
What a ball! Sciver-Brunt, who has been so good, rocks back to cut and loses her stumps to a ball that rips in.
30th over: England 126-6 (Sciver-Brunt 59, Dean 0) So Deepti Sharma now has three for seven and England are slipping rapidly towards follow-on territory.
Updated
WICKET! Ecclestone b Sharma 0 (England 126-6)
A static Sophie Ecclestone is skittled by one that creeps through, zips back and clomps the stumps.
Updated
WICKET! Jones c Verma b Deepti 12 (England 126-5)
Ah. Unlucky Amy Jones. Cracks the ball into the helmet of Mandana at short leg, from where it riccochets into the air and into the hands of the delighted Shafali Verma.
29th over: England 126-4 (Sciver-Brunt 55, Jones 12) Thanks Daniel, enjoy your slumbers. Well, England are in a pickle. Still, perennial rescuer NSB is still there with fifty under her belt, and Amy Jones belts Rana for two fours in the first over after tea.
That’ll be drinks and the end of my shift. Thanks for sticking with me through the early hours. I enjoyed watching Sciver-Brunt do her thing. Can she keep going and dig England out of a hole? Tanya will see you out the close. Ciao!
28th over: England 117-4 (Sciver-Brunt 55, Jones 3) Imperious from Sciver-Brunt as she gets down low to sweep Sharma in front of square. She picked the length so early and fully committed to the stroke. She’s playing a different game to the rest of her teammates. She takes a single off her hips while Jones is off the mark with a couple of singles herself.
27th over: England 109-4 (Sciver-Brunt 50, Jones 0) Sciver-Brunt reaches her fifty from 63 balls with a jabbed single in front of point. She raises her bat but the celebration is muted. She knows she’s got a whole lot of work left to do.
26th over: England 108-4 (Sciver-Brunt 49, Jones 0) A brilliant start from Sharma who watched as Wyatt tried to play a premeditated sweep from her first ball. So she gave next delivery some air which saw it bite into the surface and turn and bounce. What a lovely piece of bowling that was to further amplify her team’s advantage with another timely wicket. Amy Jones has a serious job to do and starts by seeing out a maiden.
WICKET! Wyatt c Rodrigues b Sharma 19 (England 108-4)
Deepti Sharma strikes with her second ball. What an inspired bowling changed. She flights it around Wyatt’s off stump and it’s a tame poke at the ball with hard hands. It turns, catches the inside edge, ricochets off the bad and spoons up for Rodrigues at forward short leg.
Updated
25th over: England 108-3 (Sciver-Brunt 49, Wyatt 19) Vastrakar has lost her radar and that allows Wyatt to play two strokes of real authority. The first is a short and wide gimme that is creamed through backward point to bring up England’s 100. Two balls later a half volley on the pads is dealt clipped with a flourish. The over ends with a full and wide ball that Wyatt chips to the sweeper on the off-side to keep the strike.
24th over: England 99-3 (Sciver-Brunt 49, Wyatt 10) A pair of twos – one backward of square where she’s been productive all day, the other past slip – sees Sciver-Brunt move herself and her team to the edge of milestones.
23rd over: England 95-3 (Sciver-Brunt 45, Wyatt 10) The merest inside edge saves Wyatt, though to be fair she knew immediately that she’d got bat on it. Quality bowling from Vastrakar who pulled her length back after getting pinged through the covers for four. That stroke showed Wyatt’s class but she’ll want to be more watchful to the one that nips back of a good area.
Just as I’ve said they can’t afford to lose a wicket Wyatt has been given out lbw! She reviews immediately. Two sounds maybe.
It’s been an odd morning. It’s felt as if England have been in control and yet they’re battling to hang in there. As Guy says, they haven’t helped themselves with that needless run-out.
England are making life hard for themselves @danielgallan. And while 450+ is a huge score, we are more than capable of getting there. But run outs like Beaumont's really hurt us, so you hope these two can bed in. They are really class batters.
— Guy Hornsby (@GuyHornsby) December 15, 2023
22nd over: England 89-3 (Sciver-Brunt 44, Wyatt 5) Renuka pushes one down leg and it trickles away for four byes, which is harsh on Bhatia standing up the stumps. A single apiece for Wyatt and Sciver-Brunt keeps the score ticking. They’re still 339 runs behind. They simply cannot afford to lose another wicket any time soon.
21st over: England 83-3 (Sciver-Brunt 43, Wyatt 4) Vastrakar is back and there’s a chance in the slip cordon from her first ball. It’s banged in short and Wyatt leans back and prods at it. Rather than flying to the boundary it balloons off the face and has both first and second slip leaping for it. Luckily for Wyatt she gets just enough wood on it and it bounces away for four.
20th over: England 79-3 (Sciver-Brunt43, Wyatt 0) A maiden from Renuka as Sciver-Brunt contemplates her next move while seeing out the over.
You said it, Raf.
Absolutely no need for that by England. Inexcusably dim. #INDvENG
— Raf Nicholson (@RafNicholson) December 15, 2023
19th over: England 79-3 (Sciver-Brunt 43, Wyatt 0) Sciver-Brunt will need to put that run-out out of her mind as quickly as possible. It was certainly her fault. There was just no need for a run there. Especially as she started the over with a well struck punch through midwicket that skipped away for four.
WICKET! Beaumont run-out Vastrakar 10 (England 79-3)
A direct hit and Beaumont is gone! That felt so unnecessary. Then again, run-outs in a Test always do. Sciver-Brunt prodded to the on-side and set off. She stuttered for a fraction and that meant Beaumont, who hadn’t exactly exploded out of the blocks, was always going to struggle to make her ground, even with a desperate dive at the end, if the pick and throw was accurate. Excellent fielding from Vastrakar running in from midwicket has put India in firm control of things.
Updated
18th over: England 75-2 (Beaumont 10, Sciver-Brunt 39) Renaka returns and she immediately finds the outside edge of Sciver-Brunt. It falls just short of Rana at first slip. She got her hands to it but just couldn’t jam her fingers between the ball and ground. But that was very close. Wonderful ball to draw the false prod. Sciver-Brunt gets off strike the next ball with a well-timed clip worth three runs through midwicket. Beaumont defends the rest of the over.
17th over: England 72-2 (Beaumont 10, Sciver-Brunt 10) Gayakwad’s slow left armers from the round the wicket get us going again. There’s an uncontrolled drive from Sciver-Brunt that has a few Indian fielders on the off-side momentarily excited, but it squirms away for a safe single. Beaumont skips down the track and wristily lifts the ball over wide mid-on for four take take reach double figures.
We’re back. England will want more of the same from their set batters, especially Sciver-Brunt who has been imperious.
Not saying she'll do it in this match, but feels like Nat Sciver-Brunt will surely break the record for fastest women's Test hundred at some point (current record is 106 balls faced).
— hypocaust (@_hypocaust) December 15, 2023
Lunch: England 67-2 (Beaumont 6, Sciver-Brunt 35)nt
Two singles and a speculative appeal for a catch at second slip – that was clearly a bump ball from a Beaumont check drive – closes out the final over the session. One for the bowlers as five wickets fell though there’s no question you’d rather be in the Indian camp. But Sciver-Brunt is batting like a dream and Beaumont is stubbornly playing the anchor role. A deficit of 363 runs feels gargantuan now but there’s a long way to go in this match.
Catch you after the break.
15th over: England 65-2 (Beaumont 5, Sciver-Brunt 34) Sciver-Brunt is now operating at a run a ball thanks to two fours in the Gayakwad over. The first came from a half-tracker that was thwacked in front of square on the pull. The second was a drive down the ground that had mid-off interested for a time, but was hit with enough power to take it past the diving fielder.
14th over: England 57-2 (Beaumont 5, Sciver-Brunt 26) Two more for Sciver-Brunt as she works a couple past midwicket. She might have had four more were it not for some swift work by the fielder at mid-off after a sweetly timed drive down the ground. More good fielding at short leg keeps a firm flick down to just a single so Sciver-Brunt will keep the strike.
13th over: England 54-2 (Beaumont 5, Sciver-Brunt 23) Another wonderful shot off the back foot from Sciver-Brunt adds four more to her tally. Gayakwad drags down and is punished through a wide mid-off. Another drag down is belted straight to the fielder sweeping behind square on the leg side so it’s just a single. Beaumont is content to play the anchor role and defends to close out the over.
12th over: England 49-2 (Beaumont 5, Sciver-Brunt 18) Oooh, umpire’s call saves Beaumont. It’s a wonderful ball from Vastrakar that beat the batter on length. Beaumont was stuck on her crease and couldn’t prevent the in-ducker from crashing into her front pad. It would have gone on to hit the stumps but made contact just outside the line of off-stump. Sciver-Brunt is having no such troubles. She creamed a gorgeous back-foot drive for four before taking a single behing square on the leg side. For my money, she’s the best women’s cricketer in the world and she’s looking like a million bucks so far.
There’s another review and this one could be tight. Vastrakar is full and swinging in to Beaumont who is trapped on the crease, barely pressing forward. The original decision is not out. Stand by…
11th over: England 44-2 (Beaumont 5, Sciver-Brunt 13) A change of bowling as Gayakwad’s slow left arm enters the scene. Beaumont expertly uses the crease as she rocks back and takes two with a neat back-foot punch through cover. Gayakwad then gets it fuller and Beaumont has no choice but to defend the rest of a probing over.
10th over: England 42-2 (Beaumont 3, Sciver-Brunt 13) It’s a maiden from Vastrakar despite Sciver-Brunt biffing it either side of the wicket. The Indian fielding this morning has been brilliant and it restricts a now fluent Sciver-Brunt.
9th over: England 42-2 (Beaumont 3, Sciver-Brunt 13) Back-to-back boundaries for Sciver-Brunt who seems totally nonplussed by the scoreboard. The first was a flawless drive through extra cover. The second was slightly more fortuitous as she failed to get to the pitch of one slightly shorter in length but still managed to get enough bat on it to reach the backward point boundary. Singles either side of that for both batters means it’s a productive over for the tourists.
8th over: England 32-2 (Beaumont 2, Sciver-Brunt 4) Eight runs and a wicket. Quite an eventful start for Vastrakar. She started by tamely serving up a half volley for Knight and was duly dispatched to the cover boundary. She then corrected and nabbed the England skipper plumb in front. Another throw-down was then bunted by the ground by the new batter, Sciver-Brunt, who leaned into a lovely on-drive.
WICKET! Knight lbw Vastrakar 11 (England 28-2)
Huge wicket! The England captain is gone. After crunching the previous ball for four through the covers, she’s pinned back in her crease to one that moved through the air. It looked plumb at first viewing though she desperately reviewed. No reprive. Vastrakar, into the attack, gets a big scalp with her third ball of the match.
Knight’s in trouble! That looked plumb but she reviews. I think she’s a goner.
7th over: England 24-1 (Beaumont 2, Knight 7) Knight continues to tick along as she gets another one down to fine leg off her pads. There’s a bizarre review for a not-out call on an lbw shout. It looked like it hit the middle of Beaumont’s bat. In fact it was pad first but the impact was outside the line of off stump. Renuka goes searching for another in-ducker but gets it wrong as it skips down the leg side for four byes.
Can you say, ‘bunny’?
Sophia Dunkley's dismissals in her last four international innings:
— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) December 15, 2023
1st T20I 🆚 India - bowled Renuka Thakur (1)
2nd T20I 🆚 India - bowled Renuka Thakur (9)
3rd T20I 🆚 India - b Thakur c Patil (11)
1st inns Test 🆚 India - bowled Renuka Thakur (11)#INDvENG pic.twitter.com/3XfbxtpAYb
6th over: England 19-1 (Beaumont 2, Knight 6) Rana is giving it air and almost squeezes one past Knight’s half drive. Still, it’s a decent set for England thanks to the England skipper who collects two with a stiff flick past mid-on and then a single through cover point. Beaumont unfurls a mighty sweep but can only make contact with the bottom of her glove.
5th over: England 16-1 (Beaumont 2, Knight 3) Bhatia is standing up the stumps which means Beaumont can’t go out and meet the ball as she’d perhaps like. Instead she has to wait for it, which she does when Renuka drifts onto her pads. The clip behind sqaure is firm but it’s excellently stopped. Several teammates go and congratulate the fielder. There’s a great buzz out there. England have to dig in here.
4th over: England 15-1 (Beaumont 2, Knight 2) The Indians are buzzing. Four close fielders round the bat and the ‘keeper are making constant noise as Rana floats ‘em up to Knight. But the England captain is watchful, waiting for her chance which she seizes on the final delivery of the over. It’s just a single off the pads, but it means the scoreboard ticks over by one.
3rd over: England 14-1 (Beaumont 2, Knight 1) India have the early breakthrough as Dunkley played down the wrong line to one that tailed back onto her middle stump. And the over started so well for the opener who unfurled a glorious on-drive for four and also benefited from good fortune as she squeezed an inside edge to the rope down at fine leg. But Renuka found a teasing length and, with the ‘keeper up, drew Dunkley forward to expose the gap between bat and bat. Knight, the England skipper, is off the mark immediately with a nice clip behind square on the leg side.
Updated
WICKET! Dunkley b Renuka 11 (England 13-1)
Dunkley’s gone! A looping in-swinger goes through the gap between bat and pad and knocks back the middle stump. Renuka has her first Test wicket. It was a ball with lovely shape on it but Dunkley must shoulder responsibility for that one as she simply missed what looked like a pretty innocuous delivery.
2nd over: England 5-0 (Beaumont 2, Dunkley 3) It’s spin from the other end with the new ball as Sneh Rana’s offies make an early entry into the match. Rather than take a sighter, Dunkley is down on one knee and paddling a couple from her first ball faced in the Test. What a remarkable start to her innings! Rana is then flatter which forces Dunkley to be defensive though she can scamper a single at cover.
1st over: England 2-0 (Beaumont 2, Dunkley 0) Renuka on Test debut is up the hill and into Beaumont. Early movement from the hand and off the pitch back towards the right hander causes early concern. An inside edge onto the pad saves Beaumont from what would have been a plumb lbw shout. Two slips, a gully, a forward short leg and a short mid-off all hover close. Beaumont though is good off her pads and can tuck a couple behind square to get off the mark.
Correction. It was Dunkley, not Beaumont, who held onto that catch from Ecclestone’s bowling to close out the innings.
India all out for 428 - Rajeshwari c Beaumont b Ecclestone 0
Dunkley gets one to stick at close quarters! Having had two two catches go down under the helmet, England finally gets it to land. Tossed up and Rajeshwari prods a simple catch for the England opener who is off celebrating before carrying on her trajectory to the change room to get the pads on. England have done well to wrap up the innings this morning.
Updated
104th over: India 428-9 (Vastrakar 10, Rajeshwari 0). Dean is back into the attack and is finding a nice spot in front of Vastrakar. That is until she drags down her final ball and is hammered for four behind sqaure.
As the original post suggests, perhaps we should be talking about ‘shaky 60s’ rather than ‘nervous 90s’.
This is the first time in a women's Test, and just the second time in the history of Test cricket overall, that four players have been dismissed in the 60s in the same innings.
— hypocaust (@_hypocaust) December 15, 2023
The only other instance was Australia men against West Indies at the SCG in Jan 1952.#ENGviND https://t.co/cA6oJriYfS
103rd over: India 424-9 (Vastrakar 6, Gayakwad 0) A wicket maiden for Ecclestone. She really is a terrific bowler. Loads of flight and variations in pace. England just one away now.
WICKET! Renuka Singh b Ecclestone 1 (India 424-9)
Cleaned up! Full with plenty of drift and flight, it almost hits the batter on her toes. Instead it takes sharp turn out of the foot mark before knocking back the off stump. Ecclestone will feel a sense of relief. So will Beaumonth after dropping a bit of a sitter at silly point the ball before.
102nd over: India 428-8 (Vastrakar 6, Singh 1) Another top set from Bell. She’s got it hooping into the right handers. When she’s full it causing all sorts of trouble and there’s a loud appeal for leg-before to Vastrakar. That compels Knight to pull her fielder from cover and invite the drive. But Bell drags one down and there’s an easy single to be had in the new gap. The last ball is full, but wide, and Singh reaches for it to take a single down to deep third.
Bell is striking a lovely note so far.
I really believe Lauren Bell has come of age as a bowler in this test match… it’s hard work on this type of surface, and you get rewarded if you bang the ball into the pitch which is what she’s consistently done. Good stuff.
— 🗡️Charles Dagnall 🗡️ (@CharlesDagnall) December 15, 2023
101st over: India 422-8 (Vastrakar 5, Singh 0) Ecclestone has it on a string for five deliveries and almost finds Vastrakar’s outside edge with one that spits from a full length. She strays, though, with her final ball and it allows the Indian batter to tuck a single off her hips to keep the strike.
100th over: India 421-8 (Vastrakar 4, Singh 0) A wicket maiden but it could have been a double strike as the last ball of the over jags back and almost takes out the Renuka Singh’s off-stump. Deepti will be annoyed with herself with that dismissal. It was almost a half volley but she chose to prod rather than belt it. Perhaps it was the straight line that compelled her to be more defensive. Still, full credit to Bell who has found a great rhythm this morning.
WICKET! Deepti c Ecclestone b Bell 67 (India 421-8)
Finally they’ve held on to one in the slips. Wonderful bowling from Bell. A persistently good line keeps Deepti interested and she prods at a fuller one and catches the edge. It’s straight at Ecclestone and she pouches it without fuss. Lovely bowling.
99th over: India 421-7 (Deepti 67, Vastrakar 4) Beaumont has a sniff of another hard-handed dab from Deepti but this time there’s no chance of a catch. The Indian batter gets hold of a sweep but there’s now a fielder covering on the rope and it’s just a single. Ecclestone is dangling the bait for Vastrakar, tossing it above the eye line, but she’s not biting.
98th over: India 420-7 (Deepti 66, Vastrakar 4) Tidy stuff from Bell. She’s hitting a good length outside of Vastrakar’s off stump and it’s a maiden. India’s number nine is happy to be on the defence for now.
97th over: India 420-7 (Deepti 66, Vastrakar 4) There’s a dropped catch! It’s a tough chance for Beaumont at forward short leg but it’s definitely a catch that’s been put down. Ecclestone’s first ball of the morning is a floater is met with the full face of Deepti’s bat and it it spoons towards the fielder under the lid. She can’t react in time and the chance goes. The next ball is a stinker down the leg side that trickles for five byes and the set is capped off by a crunching sweep for four behind sqaure.
Updated
96th over: India 412-7 (Deepti 62, Vastrakar 4) Lauren Bell is into her fifth spell of the innings. She’s coming from round the wicket into the left handed Deepti. Like Dean before, she’s a touch too wide and Deepti can take a comofrtable off the back foot single through point after letting the first two go. Bell hits a better line from over the wicket to the right hander Vastrakar as she tests that fourth stump channel. Just the one from the over.
95th over: India 411-7 (Deepti 61, Vastrakar 4) Big turn for Dean who’s spinning it with her fingers from over the wicket away from the left hander. She’ll want to get it straighter though as Deepti has room to bunt it for a single behind square. Vastrakar is watchful as she sees out the first over the morning.
Right then. Here we go. Charlie Dean has the ball. Deepti Sharma has a bat in her hand. Day two is underway.
There are a couple of interesting stats that I’ve come across this morning.
The first is that this is already India’s highest ever total in a Test match on home soil, eclipsing the 410 they scored against England 21 years ago. And they’re not done yet!
The next bit of trivia comes courtesy of Yastika Bhatia’s swinging blade. She became just the fourth women to bring up a half century with a six when she pulled Lauren Filer over the rope behind backward square.
I’ve nicked the full list from the wonderful Hypocaust X account:
Every recorded instance of a woman bringing up a Test fifty with a six:
— hypocaust (@_hypocaust) December 14, 2023
Edna Barker (ENG) v NZ, 1966 (48* to 54*)
Liz Signal (NZ) v ENG, 1984 (49* to 55*)
Shelley Nitschke (AUS) v ENG, 2005 (47* to 53*)
Yastika Bhatia (IND) v ENG, 2023 (47* to 53*)#INDvENG https://t.co/tHtBIiCR1Q
Updated
Have you switched on the radio in search of the TMS feed? Don’t adjust your reception, it’s not you, it’s them.
Sadly the Beeb has been unable to secure the radio rights for any of England’s upcoming cricket over in India. That includes this ongoing women’s series and the five Test match series between the men’s teams.
Ali Martin has the skinny:
For any early birds out there, here’s a recap of yesterday’s play as told by Raf Nicholson:
Preamble
Hello all, and welcome to the coverage of the second day of the one-off Test between India and England. The best thing we can say for the tourists is that the sun rose again after setting on a pretty torrid outing yesterday. Thanks to four half-centuries, and a wonderful 49 from the skipper Harmanpreet Kaur, that was ended with a truly bizarre run-out, the hosts plundered 410-7 before the close of play.
This was England’s first Test in India for 18 years so perhaps they can be forgiven for not quite getting a handle on conditions. Still, they bowled well with the first new ball and prevented Satheesh Shubha (69), Jemimah Rodrigues (68) and Yastika Bhatia (66) from getting too far away from them.
The dangerous Deepti Sharma is still there on 60 but there’s an opportunity at the other end thanks to Nat Sciver-Brunt’s late dismissal of Sneh Rana for 30.
England will want to wrap things up as quick as they can and then show that the match situation is more a consequence of favourable batting conditions than their own shortcomings.
Nothing like a Test, eh? Loads of undulations to come I’m sure. I’m off to make a strong pot of coffee and wipe the sleep from my eyes. Back in a bit.
Play resumes at 04:00 BST / 09:30 IST.
