India registered the biggest victory (in terms of runs) in women’s Test cricket history, beating England by 347 runs in the solitary match at the DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai on Saturday (December 16).
The hosts set a mammoth 479-run target for England by declaring their second innings on overnight score of 186/6. During the chase, the visitors faltered under pressure in the morning session of Day 3 and got bowled out for 131.
After winning the toss, India piled up 428 runs to record their highest first-innings score and second-highest overall. As many as five batters namely Shubha Satheesh (69), Jemimah Rodrigues (68), Deepti Sharma (67) and Yastika Bhatia (66) slammed half-centuries for India in the first essay.
In reply, England’s first innings folded for a paltry 136, conceding a huge lead of 292 runs. Deepti Sharma starred with the ball for the home team, returning with the figures of 5/7 in her 5.3 overs.
Although there was an opportunity to enforce the follow-on, India skipper Harmanpreet Kaur decided against it. Instead, India women added crucial runs on Day 2 and declared their second innings before the start of play on the third day.
Deepti Sharma (4/32), Pooja Vastrakar (3/23) and Rajeshwari Gayakwad (2/20) ran through the England batting line-up to bundle out the tourists in just 27.3 overs in the fourth innings.
For their stunning victory, Harmanpreet Kaur and company garnered rich praise from the cricket fraternity on social media platform X.
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