Navi Mumbai
In a dominating performance, India Women’s off-spinner Deepti Sharma claimed her maiden fifer (5 for 7), leaving England Women’s batters bamboozled and bundled out for 136 in their first innings on the second day of the one-off Test at DY Patil Stadium. India Women, who posted 428 in their first innings, secured a commanding lead of 292 runs and opted to bat instead of enforcing a follow-on. Deepti Sharma, earlier contributing 67 runs with the bat, exhibited brilliant spin bowling to take five wickets for just seven runs in 5.2 overs. The 26-year-old from Agra, Uttar Pradesh, deceived the England batters with a mix of deliveries, exploiting sharp turn on the pitch. Deepti’s fifer included the wickets of Danni Wyatt, Amy Jones, Sophie Ecclestone, Kate Cross, and Lauren Filer. Fellow off-spinner Sneh Rana also played a crucial role, claiming the wicket of Nat Sciver-Brunt, who top-scored for England with 59 runs. Sneh trapped Charlie Dean lbw for a duck, finishing with figures of 2/25. Despite the day starting with India’s first innings ending in 37 minutes, adding 18 runs to their overnight score, the hosts made significant breakthroughs before lunch. Debutante Renuka Singh got India off to a strong start by dismissing England’s opener early. Pooja Vastrakar followed up by removing England’s skipper Heather Knight. The day belonged to Deepti Sharma, showcasing her all-around skills and putting India Women in a commanding position with two more days remaining in the Test match.
