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India's Bhatia in sight of becoming first woman to score Lord's Test century / Photo: © AFP
India's Bhatia in sight of becoming first woman to score Lord's Test century
Yastika Bhatia rode her luck to be just nine runs away from becoming the first woman to score a Test century at Lord's as India continued to pile on the agony for England on Sunday.
India were 250-4 in their second innings at lunch on the third day of four of this inaugural women's Test at Lord's -- a huge overall lead of 365 runs, with Bhatia 91 not out.
Bhatia, however, might have been dismissed for her overnight 39 off the very first ball of Sunday's play when she was beaten on the inside edge by a Lauren Bell delivery that clipped off stump without dislodging the bails.
But she made the most of her good fortune to complete an 86-ball fifty including six fours.
After 142 years -- and 150 matches -- of men's Test cricket at Lord's, this fixture at the 'Home of Cricket' represents another breakthrough for the women's game.
India resumed on 154-1, 269 runs ahead.
England were left needing to rewrite the record books even before a ball was bowled Sunday as the highest successful fourth-innings chase to win any women's Test is Australia's 198 against England in Sydney in 2011.
And this was also their first morning in the field since former captain Heather Knight had announced after Saturday's close that she would be joining longtime England team-mate Tammy Beaumont in retiring from international cricket after this match.
Smriti Mandhana had been in superb touch Saturday as she backed up her first-innings 83 with another fluent half-century.
There were hopes she might join team-mate Kranti Gaud, who took five wickets on Saturday, on the Lord's honours boards by becoming the first woman to score a Test century at the ground.
But Mandhana had added just one run to her overnight 69 not out when she flicked at a legside delivery from Bell and was well caught low to her right by diving wicket-keeper Amy Jones.
The third umpire ruled the catch had been completed correctly and it was the end of left-hander Mandhana's 130-ball innings, including nine fours and a six.
But Bhatia ensured the runs kept coming and she completed her second Test fifty with a superb straight-driven four off Bell.
Both Jemimah Rodrigues and India captain Harmanpreet Kaur fell cheaply but it made little difference to the state of the game.
A.Walczak--GL
