England’s Women fell to a crushing defeat at the hands of India in their 100th ever Test match. It was the Only Test of the series after the visitors won the three-match T20I Series 2-1 on the Indian subcontinent. England’s weaknesses against the spin with bat and ball were laid bare, as well as a poor performance in the field, losing by 347 runs.
Day One: India punish English fielding fumbles
The opening day saw remarkable symmetry throughout the three sessions. India chose to bat first, and were motoring along at five runs per over for most of the day, clocking up 410 runs. England would often take two wickets in quick succession, but never quite push on to take more. The most glaring of the missed chances came after 46 overs, when Lauren Bell dropped an easy catch to remove Yastika Bhatia on 15.
The Indian would take advantage, scoring a further 51 runs after the drop, and becoming one of four batters to score higher than 60 in the First Innings. England weren’t quite batted out of the game at 410-7, but they were licking their wounds after a catalogue of missed chances. As for India, they would score the second most runs ever on the first day of a Women’s Test match, putting themselves firmly in the driving seat.
Day Two: England batting collapse and India’s spin dominance
The visitors would be more efficient on Day 2, needing just half an hour to take the final three wickets of India’s first innings. But it was still a big deficit, and they didn’t make a good start to reduce it. Sophia Dunkley would open with Tammy Beaumont but was bowled for just 10, and Heather Knight would also be gone quickly, leaving England 28-2. India weren’t able to capitalise on this pressure though, and Beaumont would steady the ship with Nat Sciver-Brunt, the pair putting on a 50 partnership after lunch. However, the wheels would soon start to come off for England.
Beaumont was run out by fantastic Indian fielding to end the partnership at 51, and England would capitulate completely, losing the next seven wickets for just 57 runs. And this was one of the huge differences between the sides in this match. While England fumbled and failed to take their chances, India grabbed their first with both hands, removing Beaumont and triggering a capitulation. They would lead by 292 runs after one innings.
India would also make better use of spin bowling, often more prominent on Indian pitches, and England would follow their lead for the reminder of Day 2. And while it did produce six wickets, India had added another 186 runs before close. They would declare overnight, leaving England to chase 479 runs, the largest target ever set in Women’s Test cricket.
Day Three: A lacklustre England chase, all out with five sessions to spare
With two days of the Test match remaining, England had time on their side. Beaumont and Dunkley would open again, but it only took India seven overs to bowl Beaumont for 17. With the headline batting figure gone, England were in ruins, and three overs later another two wickets had fallen. At one stage, the home side were taking a wicket an over, with England hopeless to defend from their relentless bowling attack.
It would soon be over, England all out for 131, a huge 347 run victory for India. The England batters just couldn’t get going, despite seven of them building a nice platform for themselves by reaching double figures. They only managed one score above 21 all match, courtesy of Nat Sciver-Brunt, whereas India secured four half centuries, including for Test match debutants Satheeth Shubha and Jemimah Rodrigues.
The verdict
England will need a huge rethink before their next trip to India. Sophie Ecclestone and Charlie Dean did what they could with the spin, but it was nothing compared to India, who brought a trio of spinners to England’s pair. Then again, while it’s easy to criticise England, India deserve plenty of credit for their batting on a pitch that the visitors struggled to score on.
While they are yet to have one scheduled, England will need to pick themselves up from two disappointing Test defeats in 2023.
Defeat in the test 💔
Not our day but we will be back stronger 💪#EnglandCricket #INDvENG pic.twitter.com/TwYpX10iD9
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) December 16, 2023
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