"Isn't just a win, it's a thrashing!" - Fans react after India register biggest victory in women's Test cricket against England
India beat England clinically by 347 runs in the one-off Women's Test match at the Dr DY Patil Sports Academy in Navi Mumbai on Saturday, December 15. This is the biggest win in terms of run margin for a team in women's Tests.
The hosts batted first in the contest and managed to notch up a daunting total of 428 on a turning surface. Shubha Satheesh, Jemimah Rodrigues, Yastika Bhatia, and Deepti Sharma hit half-centuries for India. Lauren Bell and Sophie Ecclestone scalped three wickets each for the English side.
Deepti Sharma then spun a web around the England batting unit and picked up a five-wicket haul to bundle them out for 136 in the second innings. Nat Sciver-Brunt (59) was the only batter to show some resistance from the visitor's batting department.
India then reached 186/6 before declaring in the third innings, setting a mammoth target of 479 for the England side. Deepti Sharma (4/32) and Pooja Vastrakar (3/23) combined to skittle out the English team for 131 in the final innings and help India register a comprehensive victory.
Fans enjoyed India's dominant performance in the Test against England and expressed their views through social media platforms. Here are some of the reactions:
"I think India played outstandingly!" - England captain Heather Knight
Speaking at the post-match presentation, English skipper Heather Knight reflected on the loss and said:
"I think India played outstandingly! A lot of credit needs to be given to their batters in the first innings. They got the measure of both defense and attack and the bowling was just spectacular. The conditions were pretty different for us but India I think bowled much better today, to be honest.
On the lessons they learned from the game, Knight added:
"We have a lot to learn from this Test match which will help going forward in these conditions. Charlie Dean and Lauren Bell were impressive I must say. They bowled well and got most things right even after struggling initially. This experience of playing in India is just brilliant! Hope we get to play more games, especially Test matches here."
England won the three-match T20I series by a 2-1 margin but ended the tour with a loss in the only Test match.