Shafali Verma’s follow-on fifty helps India cling on against England’s might

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The remaining session on day three was washed out after Sophie Ecclestone’s four-for gave the hosts a 165-run first-innings lead

India 83 for 1 (Verma 55*, Sharma 18*) and 231 (Verma 96, Mandhana 78, Ecclestone 4-88, Knight 2-7) path England 396 for 9 dec. (Knight 95, Dunkley 74*, Beaumont 66, Rana 4-131, Sharma 3-65) by 82 runs

A second half-century in as many innings from teenager Shafali Verma stored India clinging on throughout a rain-interrupted third day of their one-off Test against England in Bristol.

Early tea was taken when the rain that had threatened all through to set in ultimately did and play was deserted for the day at 5.30pm native time. India, following on, have been 83 for 1 of their second innings, a deficit of 82 runs. Verma remained unbeaten on 55 and Deepti Sharma was not out on 18.

Verma, the 17-year-old debutant who had fallen simply 4 runs shy of a century within the first innings, confirmed impeccable timing in racking up 20 runs – all in boundaries – from simply 14 balls to the lunch break. She nailed fours by midwicket and mid-off earlier than two exquisitely easy drives pierced the covers, and she or he clipped her fifth neatly off the pads to the leg facet. She carried on in the same vein after the break, threading three extra boundaries by the off facet.

There was a touch of fallibility as Katherine Brunt beat her massive swing when Verma was on 35. Then, having moved to 41 with one other jaw-dropping 4, stepping ahead and elevating her again foot as she chipped the ball sweetly again over bowler Kate Cross‘ head, Verma edged Cross’ subsequent ball narrowly previous Heather Knight, diving low to her left at first slip, for one more boundary.

Another of India’s 5 Test debutants, Sharma, who had been unbeaten on 29 within the first innings, was promoted to No. 3 within the second when Smriti Mandhana fell on the stroke of lunch. Sharma performed the foil to Verma’s exuberance, having confronted 44 balls for a solitary run earlier than rain induced a half-hour interruption to the afternoon session with Verma on 46 and India 57 for 1, a deficit of 108 runs.

Sharma upped her scoring charge after the stoppage, driving Cross to the boundary by the covers twice, earlier than Verma introduced up her fifty off 63 balls with a single off Cross to mid-on, turning into the primary Indian lady and the youngest woman from any country to score twin fifties on Test debut. Across males’s and ladies’s Tests, only Sachin Tendulkar was younger when he achieved the milestone. Verma managed one other 4 – the eleventh of her innings – when she cracked Sophie Ecclestone over mid-off earlier than the rain introduced in regards to the tea break.

Play had resumed half an hour late after lunch due to the rain although it was solely the faintest drizzle after England had additional dented India’s hopes when Brunt enticed Mandhana, then on 8, right into a drive and she or he edged to Nat Sciver at second slip.

Earlier, Ecclestone picked up from the place England had left off on the second night, including three extra wickets to her tally on the third morning as India have been bowled out for 231.

India resumed on 187 for five after a flurry of wickets within the remaining hour on Thursday introduced undone the first-innings opening partnership value 167 between Verma and Mandhana. Ecclestone, the left-arm spinner, struck along with her first ball – the fifth of the day general – when she had Harmanpreet Kaur out lbw. It took an astute England assessment to say the wicket after Kaur was initially given not out by on-field umpire Sue Redfern, with replays exhibiting the ball hitting leg stump.

Ecclestone then had Taniya Bhatia out lbw with the primary ball of her subsequent over, Bhatia burning a assessment within the hope of getting a reasonably cut-and-dried dismissal overturned. By then, India had lost seven wickets for 20 runs in 14.2 overs.

But it was maybe her elimination of Sneh Rana that may have introduced Ecclestone the best satisfaction, such was the standard of the supply, pitching outdoors off and turning sharply throughout to seek out the sting, Amy Jones taking a juggling catch behind the stumps. It was Ecclestone’s fourth wicket and she or he ended the innings with 4 for 88 from 26 overs.

Brunt then struck on the very first alternative with the brand new ball, bowling Pooja Vastrakar with a dream supply, one which swung out a mile and clipped the highest of off stump. And when Anya Shrubsole bowled Jhulan Goswami with an inswinger, the guests have been all out, nonetheless 16 runs wanting avoiding the follow-on.

Valkerie Baynes is a normal editor at ESPNcricinfo

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