Yastika Bhatia’s Historic Lord’s Century
Yastika Bhatia made history at Lord’s by becoming the first woman to score a Test century at the venue. Her magnificent maiden Test century was a centerpiece of India’s second innings, which saw them declare at 341/7 on the third day of the four-day match. Bhatia’s landmark knock concluded at 113 runs. She reached her century, her first in any international format, in the first over after lunch, hitting Issy Wong for two fours off consecutive balls before a quick single off the fast bowler secured her 145-ball hundred, which included 12 boundaries.
Bhatia’s achievement was met with applause from her teammates on the India dressing room balcony. She joined a distinguished list of cricketers, including Vinoo Mankad, Dilip Vengsarkar, Mohammad Azharrudin, Sourav Ganguly, and Rahul Dravid, who have scored a Test century at the ‘Home of Cricket’. After her dismissal, Richa Ghosh contributed with a brisk half-century, an unbeaten 50 off 52 balls including eight fours, further extending India’s lead.
England’s Challenging Chase
India set England a challenging target of 457 runs. England’s chase quickly unraveled as their top order struggled, leaving them at 59/5. The day also marked the end of two international careers, with Tammy Beaumont and former captain Heather Knight bidding farewell to international cricket after this match. Kranti Goud and Sayali Satghare were instrumental with the new ball for India, each claiming two wickets, while Sneh Rana added one.
Despite the early setbacks, Mady Villiers and Amy Jones mounted a resilient 67-run stand. Villiers was eventually dismissed by a close-in catch from Richa Ghosh. Jones continued to bat, notching up a gritty half-century, her second in this Test match. She is only the second woman batter to score two half-centuries in the same Test match while batting at number six or below, a feat previously achieved by Australia’s Jess Jonassen.
England concluded Day 3 at 130/6, still trailing by 327 runs and requiring 327 more runs to win. India needs four more wickets to secure a victory. The highest successful fourth-innings chase to win any women’s Test is Australia’s 198 against England in Sydney in 2011, indicating the monumental task facing England.
Key Performances and Day 3 Summary
India resumed Day 3 with Smriti Mandhana and Yastika Bhatia at the crease, maintaining control. However, England’s bowling improved, with Lauren Bell ending Mandhana’s innings at 70. Mandhana had added just one run to her overnight 69 not out before being caught by wicket-keeper Amy Jones off Bell’s bowling. Despite losing a few wickets, Harmanpreet Kaur and Yastika steadied the innings, ensuring India continued to extend their overall lead.
Sophie Ecclestone had a notable performance for England, picking up a five-wicket haul, finishing with figures of 5-118 in 33.3 overs. This made her the second woman to achieve this feat in a Lord’s Test, following India seamer Kranti Gaud, who took 5-37 in 17 overs in England’s first innings. Ecclestone has also become England’s leading wicket-taker across all international formats. The final day of the match is scheduled to begin on Monday, 13th July, at 10 am GMT (3.30 pm IST).
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Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
