Deepti Sharma’s stunning all-round show — a fifty and a fifer — provided India Women a perfect launching pad to record their maiden home victory in the traditional format over England after the second day of their one-off Test here on Friday.
After a patient 113-ball 67 in India’s first-innings total of 428, Deepti destroyed the England line-up with a sensational 5.3-4-7-5 spell, helping the hosts take a massive 292-run lead. The visitors were bundled out for 136 in their first essay despite Nat Sciver-Brunt’s composed 59.
India did not enforce the follow-on and reached 186/6 in their second dig at stumps, for an overall lead of 478.
Deepti was at the heart of India’s effort when they grabbed six England wickets for a mere 10 runs. That saw the visitors tumbling spectacularly from 108/3.
As the game progressed, the DY Patil Stadium pitch offered turn and variable bounce for spinners, leaving the batters in a quandary. The day also saw 19 wickets falling from either side and 15 of them were grabbed by spinners.
Deepti, of course, was the star of the day, tormenting the English batters with her bag of tricks. The 26-year-old off-spinner began her destruction job by getting rid of Danni Wyatt (19), who began with a string of fours. It was a classical off-spinner’s dismissal as the English batter was caught at short leg for a bat-pad dismissal, and that also sparked a shocking collapse.
The Indians were also proactive in the field with constant chirping around the England batters and close-in catchers were placed in unorthodox positions to keep them rooted deep into the crease.
Before Deepti came into the picture, pacers Renuka Singh and Pooja Vastrakar kept England in check.
India’s progress in their second innings was not smooth either.
Brief scores: India Women 428 & 186/6 (Harmanpreet Kau 44 n.o.; Charlie Dean 4/68). England Women 136 (Nat Sciver-Brint 59; Deepti Sharma 5/7). At stumps, Day 2.
