England v India, one-off Test, Lord’s (day three of four)
India 285 (Mandhana 83; Ecclestone 3-68) & 341-7 dec (Bhatia 113; Ecclestone 5-118)
England 170 (Jones 52; Gaud 5-37) & 130-6 (Jones 52*; Satghare 2-19)
England trail by 327 runs
England are facing a heavy defeat heading into the fourth and final day of the one-off women’s Test against India at Lord’s.
After India declared on 341-7 and set England a world record chase of 457, the hosts finished on 130-6, needing another 327 for victory.
There were no fairytale endings for the retiring Tammy Beaumont and Heather Knight, as the former was bowled for a golden duck and Knight fell for 13 to leave England in disarray.
Captain Nat Sciver-Brunt was also out cheaply, bowled sweeping for 11, and England slumped to 59-5 before Mady Villiers and Amy Jones resisted with a gritty sixth-wicket stand of 67.
Villiers’ resistance was ended by Richa Ghosh’s sensational catch at silly mid-off in the final 10 minutes of the day as India edged closer to a crushing win, despite Jones being unbeaten on 52.
The visitors’ insurmountable lead was set up by Yastika Bhatia, who outshone her overnight batting partner Smriti Mandhana to become the first female Test centurion at Lord’s with a majestic 113.
England’s bowling improved in the morning session as Lauren Bell removed Mandhana for 70 and Jemimah Rodrigues was bowled for three, but any hopes of a miraculous comeback were decimated after lunch when Bell was off the field with abdominal soreness.
Bhatia feasted on Lauren Filer and Issy Wong’s inability to target the stumps to bring up her first international hundred, before Ghosh’s counter-attacking fifty hammered home their advantage for Harmanpreet Kaur to declare before tea.
Sophie Ecclestone finished with 5-118 to become the first English woman on the Lord’s Test honours board but that was a rare cause for celebration on another difficult day of Indian dominance.
