Yastika Bhatia Makes History as First Female Test Centurion at Lord's
Historic Milestone at Lord's
Yastika Bhatia etched her name in history as the first woman to score a Test century at Lord's, leading India to declare their second innings just before tea. This declaration set a daunting target of 457 runs for England on the third day of the one-off Test match on Sunday.
In this landmark women's Test at the famed venue, India declared their second innings at 341 for seven, bolstered by Richa Ghosh's impressive 50 runs off 52 balls. Ghosh's dynamic performance followed Bhatia's remarkable 113 runs off 158 balls, further solidifying India's commanding position in the match.
Sophie Ecclestone, the England spinner, showcased her skills with a commendable five-wicket haul. The home side now faces a significant challenge as they strive to salvage the match.
During the morning session, Bhatia steadily approached her century as India reached 250 for four at lunch, despite losing three wickets in that period.
Smriti Mandhana contributed 70 runs off 130 balls but was dismissed softly by Lauren Bell, caught down the leg-side early in the session.
Bell emerged as the standout bowler, claiming not only Mandhana's wicket but also that of Jemimah Rodrigues (3 runs off 12 balls), with a stunning delivery that crashed into the stumps.
Harmanpreet Kaur, who scored 16 runs off 34 balls, struggled at the crease and was eventually trapped in front by Ecclestone, who successfully overturned the on-field umpire's decision with a DRS review.
At the lunch break, Bhatia was batting on 91 runs off 139 balls, alongside Deepti Sharma, who had 10 runs off 38 balls.
Bhatia's innings was characterized by her adept footwork against spinners and elegant straight drives against pace bowlers. After starting the day on 39, she opened with a beautiful straight drive off Bell, which set the tone for her half-century.
India had taken full control of the match on day two, dismissing England for 170 runs after they had scored 285 in their first innings.