India's Bhatia becomes first woman to score Lord's Test century

LONDON: Yastika Bhatia rode her luck before becoming the first woman to score a Test century at Lord’s as India continued to pile on the agony for England on Sunday.

In what is the first women’s Test at Lord’s – 142 years and 150 matches since the ground staged it’s debut men’s Test – Bhatia might have been dismissed for her overnight 39 off the very first ball of Sunday’s play.

The left-hander was beaten on the inside edge by a Lauren Bell delivery that clipped off stump without dislodging the bails.

Bhatia made the most of her good fortune to complete an 86-ball fifty including six fours and was 91 not out at lunch on the third day of four, with India 250-4 in their second innings – a huge overall lead of 365 runs.

There were no ‘nervous 90s’ for the 25-year-old Bhatia who soon after play resumed went to 99 by hitting England fast bowler Issy Wong for two fours off consecutive balls - a square drive followed by a carve to point.

And a quick single off Wong then saw Bhatia to a 145-ball hundred including 12 fours, the batter punching the air in delight as her team-mates gathered on the India dressing room balcony in the pavilion to applaud her achievement.

Bhatia has now joined the likes of such India men’s greats Vinoo Mankad, Dilip Vengsarkar, Mohammad Azharrudin, Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid in scoring a Test century at the ‘Home of Cricket’.

India resumed on 154-1, 269 runs ahead.

England were left needing to rewrite the record books even before a ball was bowled Sunday as the highest successful fourth-innings chase to win any women’s Test is Australia’s 198 against England in Sydney in 2011.

And this was also their first morning in the field since former captain Heather Knight had announced after Saturday’s close that she would be joining longtime England team-mate Tammy Beaumont in retiring from international cricket after this match.

Smriti Mandhana had been in superb touch Saturday as she backed up her first-innings 83 with another fluent half-century.

There were hopes she might join team-mate Kranti Gaud, who took five wickets on Saturday, on the Lord’s honours boards by becoming the first woman to score a Test century at the ground.

But Mandhana had added just one run to her overnight 69 not out when she flicked at a legside delivery from Bell and was well caught low to her right by diving wicket-keeper Amy Jones.