The women’s cricket team took the opening day honours in the one-off Test against England in Navi Mumbai on Thursday. Four batters scored half-centuries as India finished the day on 410/7 in 94 overs. India captain Harmanpreet Kaur also could have scored a half-century but a bizarre run out cut short her innings. India skipper Harmanpreet Kaur began with a sweep shot and looked in rich vein of form, but her bat got stuck in the ground while completing a run and Dani Wyatt’s throw ended her stay.
Harmanpreet walked back to the dressing room having scored an 81-ball 49 with six fours, but more importantly, she and Yastika Bhatia (66) put on 116 runs for the fifth wicket, which is the second-highest stand for India in the format.
And again Harmanpreet Kaur gets out similar fashion…#HarmanpreetKaur #INDvENG pic.twitter.com/lX4QZLnYAl
— Ajay Ahire (@Ajayahire_cric) December 14, 2023
Debutants Shubha Satheesh (69) and Jemimah Rodrigues (68) made fine half-centuries as India’s ultra-aggressive approach with the bat took them to a massive 410 for 7 at stumps on Day 1 of their one-off women’s Test against England on Thursday.
Talking about the match, Playing their first Test in nearly two years, and their maiden red-ball game on home soil in nine years, India rarely took the foot off the pedal on a batting-friendly surface at the DY Patil Stadium, garnering nearly five runs per over.
The 24-year-old Shubha stood tall with a 76-ball 69 studded with 13 boundaries, displaying immaculate footwork and impeccable reading of the line and length to score her runs at a strike rate of nearly 91.
Shubha became the 12th India batter to score a fifty on debut, but she could not convert it into a century, which would have made her the first from the country to make a ton in her maiden appearance. She departed when Sophie Ecclestone (1/85) had her caught by Nat Sciver-Brunt.
Jemimah too produced a knock befitting her calibre, smacking 11 fours during her 99-ball stay. The young batter looked good for a three-figure score but played one on to her wickets off Lauren Bell (2/64).
Shubha and Jemimah were instrumental in setting the tone for the hosts’ domination after the team appeared to be stuttering following a brisk start, adding 115 runs for the third wicket to enter the record books.
The partnership between the duo is now the second-highest in Test cricket for the third wicket.
With PTI inputs
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