Yastika Bhatia’s Historic Century at Lord’s
Yastika Bhatia achieved a significant milestone by scoring a maiden Test century at Lord’s, becoming the first woman to reach a Test hundred at the venue. Her landmark knock was a centerpiece of India’s second innings, which declared at 341/7 on the third day of the four-day match. Bhatia’s century contributed to setting England a challenging target of 457 runs.
The 25-year-old batter completed her century, her first in any international format, in the first over after lunch. She hit Issy Wong for two fours off consecutive balls, executing a square drive followed by a carve to point. A quick single off the fast bowler brought Bhatia to her 145-ball hundred, which included 12 boundaries. Her achievement was met with applause from her teammates on the India dressing room balcony in the pavilion.
Bhatia’s performance places her among notable male cricketers like Vinoo Mankad, Dilip Vengsarkar, Mohammad Azharuddin, Sourav Ganguly, and Rahul Dravid, who have also scored Test centuries at the ‘Home of Cricket’. She was eventually dismissed for 113, caught at extra-cover after attempting to loft left-arm spinner Sophie Ecclestone over the top. As she departed, Bhatia received congratulations from several England fielders and a standing ovation from spectators and members of the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC).
Following Bhatia’s dismissal, Richa Ghosh provided a late acceleration with an unbeaten half-century, scoring 50 off 52 balls, including eight fours. This brisk scoring prompted Harmanpreet Kaur to declare the innings, further solidifying India’s strong position in the match.
England’s Fightback and Departures
Despite India’s dominant position, England showed resilience. After India resumed in control with Smriti Mandhana and Yastika Bhatia at the crease, England’s bowling effort improved. Lauren Bell made an early breakthrough by ending Mandhana’s innings at 70. India lost a couple more wickets, offering England a way back into the contest. However, Harmanpreet Kaur and Yastika then stabilized the innings with a valuable partnership, ensuring India continued to extend their overall lead despite England’s regular breakthroughs.
The day also marked the end of two international careers, with Tammy Beaumont and Heather Knight bidding farewell. Knight had announced her retirement after Saturday’s close, joining longtime teammate Beaumont in retiring from international cricket after this match. This match also followed England’s defeat by Australia in the T20 World Cup final at Lord’s the previous Sunday.
Sophie Ecclestone had a notable performance for England, securing a five-wicket haul by picking up 5-118 in 33.3 overs. She became the second woman to achieve this feat in a Lord’s Test, following India seamer Kranti Gaud, who took 5-37 in 17 overs as England were dismissed for 170 in their first innings. Ecclestone, who has become England’s leading wicket-taker across all international formats, later bowled Sneh Rana to complete her five-wicket haul.
Day 3 Conclusion and Outlook
England’s chase quickly unraveled as their top order crumbled, leaving them at 59/5. Kranti Goud and Sayali Satghare were instrumental with the new ball, each claiming two wickets, while Sneh Rana added one. Mady Villiers and Amy Jones then mounted a fightback with a resilient 67-run stand before Villiers was dismissed by a close-in catch from Richa Ghosh. Jones went on to score a gritty half-century, her second in the match, making her the second woman batter to score two half-centuries in the same Test match batting at number six or below.
At the close of Day 3, England were 130/6, still trailing by 327 runs and requiring 327 more runs. 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. Day 4 is scheduled to begin on Monday, 13th July, at 10 am GMT (3.30 pm IST).
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
