3 big positives for India from Day 1 of Test vs England Women
It was a riveting day of Test cricket at the DY Patil Sports Academy in Mumbai, where India Women asserted their dominance as they posted a formidable total of 410 for seven in 94 overs against England Women. The innings was anchored by three substantial partnerships, featuring noteworthy performances from Satheesh Shubha, Jemimah Rodrigues, and Deepti Sharma, each notching up their half-centuries.
After the departure of the openers, the rest of the batting order chipped in, with Harmanpreet Kaur falling just short of a half-century at 49.
While England displayed moments of competence, their bowling performance lacked consistency, allowing the hosts to dictate the proceedings. The English fielding also left room for improvement, contributing to the home side's commanding position.
Here we take a look at the three big positives for India from Day 1 of the Test vs England Women:
#3 Debutant Shubha Satheesh scripts history
This was Shubha Satheesh's maiden international appearance and she made a mark straightaway. The all-rounder made a remarkable start as she raced to an impressive half-century during the one-off Test against England.
Shubha entered the scene in the sixth over after the dismissal of opener Smriti Mandhana. She showed remarkable temperament and was never really bogged down. Her delightful strokes shifted the pressure back onto England and when she raised her bat to celebrate her maiden international fifty, there was a discernible sense of satisfaction, pride, and everything else that comes with it.
Satheesh now has the second-fastest half-century by an Indian woman in Test cricket, accomplishing the feat in just 49 balls at the age of 24. The record for the joint-fastest Test fifty by a woman from India is held by Sangita Dabir, who achieved a 40-ball fifty against England in 1995.
#2 Yastika-Harmanpreet put India on top
Satheesh Shubha and Jemimah Rodrigues were excellent after the openers departed, but they fell in quick succession as India slipped to 190 for four. However, this was when captain Harmanpreet Kaur was joined by Yastika Bhatia and together the duo brought the Indian innings back on track.
While Yastika cracked a half century, Harmanpreet fell short by just one run. They added 116 for the fifth wicket to keep the hosts in front. The scoring was also at a fair rate and the partnership ensured the hosts never lost the momentum they had gathered in the first couple of sessions. The intent of the batters and the constant churning over the strike was excellent, but once again, India lost both batters in rather quick time.
#1 Brisk scoring rate
Harmanpreet Kaur won the toss and elected to bat first. Indian openers Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma then got off to a blazing start. Mandhana was dismissed for 17 off 12 balls while Shafali trudged back after 19 off 30 balls.
Satheesh Shubha and Jemimah Rodrigues then kept the scoreboard moving along and never did the run rate drop below four runs per over.
Even when Shubha and Rodrigues were dismissed, Harmanpreet Kaur and Yastika Bhatia kept the scoring rate over four runs and this put the side ahead in the game despite losing a few cheap wickets right throughout the day. This positive approach was a refreshing change by the hosts and it would give their bowlers more time to pick up 20 wickets to force a result.