#INDIA_WOMEN_VS_ENGLAND_WOMEN

[tsportsday]

India recorded the biggest win (by runs) in women’s Test cricket history, beating England by 347 runs in the one-off match at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on Saturday.Having set a whopping 478-run target by declaring on its overnight score of 186 for six, India proceeded to bundle out the visitor for 131 in 27.3 overs.India’s win was its sixth in 39 Tests, levelling it with six losses besides 27 draws in the format. Inda’s margin of victory is only the second instance of a 300-plus run victory in women’s Tests, surpassing the previous high of a 309-run win by Sri Lanka against Pakistan in 1998.It was also India’s first win over England at home, extending its overall positive head-to-head to 3-1 across 15 meetings.HIGHLIGHTS, DAY 3In its first innings after winning the toss, India racked up 428 runs to record its highest first-innings score and second-highest overall. India’s run rate of 4.09 in the innings was also the first instance of a women’s Test innings with run rate in excess of 4 rpo.Harmanpreet Kaur’s side also aggregated 614 runs across two innings, its best haul in a Test. India will next face Australia in a one-off Test at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai from December 21-24.

[tsportsday]

India rewrote the record books with a 347-run thumping of England in the lone women’s Test at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on Saturday.India’s remarkable win within three days and seven sessions was its first win over England at home and sixth across 39 Tests. India also surpassed Sri Lanka’s 309-run win over Pakistan set in 1998 to claim the record for the biggest win by runs in women’s Tests.Here is a look at the biggest wins (by runs) in women’s TestsBiggest win margins (by runs) in women’s TestsBy 347 runs - India vs England (Target: 479) - Navi Mumbai, 2023 By 309 runs - Sri Lanka vs Pakistan (Target: 410) - Colombo, 1998 By 188 runs - New Zealand vs South Africa (Target: 288) - Durban, 1972 By 186 runs - Australia vs England (Target: 315) - Adelaide, 1949 By 185 runs - England vs New Zealand (Target: 1949) - Auckland, 1949

[tsportsday]

England wanted to finish its 100th Test and the final assignment on the 22 yards with a victory to take some holiday cheer back home for the Christmas and New Year break. India Women vs England Women Only Test Full ScorecardHowever, instead of some victory eggnog or hot chocolate, England was left swallowing the bitter tonic of defeat after crumbling to a 347-run loss on day three in the lone Test against India at the D.Y. Patil Stadium here on Saturday. Fully expecting to begin the day by trying to bowl India out as soon as possible, England was handed a curveball when India decided to declare on its overnight score of 186/6. With a hefty lead of 478 and the opium of confidence in the bag, India set out to strike the English resistance down piece by piece. India bundled England out for 136 in three and a half hours on day two but needed just two hours and 10 minutes to wrap up its first Test win against England on home soil with a neat bow. On a hot morning here, India was never made to sweat, sealing the Test on the third day with a scrumptious English breakfast buffet, with almost every bowler getting a slice of the pie. England vice captain Natalie Sciver-Brunt, the only batter who looked to have any semblance of control, spoke about bettering footwork and focus and to dig deep and defend. Sophia Dunkley and Tammy Beaumont walked out determined to follow the blueprint. Dunkley managed to keep Renuka Singh Thakur, who has had her number throughout this series. Renuka got her opener, but it was Beaumont who succumbed to the seamer nagging stump to stump bowling. Dunkley also would fall eventually to seam, but to Pooja Vastrakar who tempted her with a slightly wide delivery, forcing her to attempt a slice which went straight to Harleen Deol. Vastrakar sent shockwaves through the English dugout when she sent a ripper to rock Sciver-Brunt’s stumps off the very first ball she faced. Struggling at 37/3 with a Herculean task facing the visitor, the onus was on skipper Heather Knight and Danielle Wyatt. However, neither could find a way to stick on at the crease. Once Knight fell to Vastrakar, whose trajectory she misjudged fell with England at 68/4, Deepti Sharma took over and cleaned the house with some help from Rajeshwari Gayakwad. Her heavy lifting with bat and ball meant Deepti was adjudged player of the match for her nine wicket haul and knocks of 67 and 20. Harmanpreet Kaur, whose Test captaincy gets off the mark with a massive win, will now lead her side in another red ball fixture against a more challenging opponent in Alyssa Healy’s Australia at the Wankhede Stadium from December 21-24.

[tsportsday]

India became only the second team to record 400-plus runs in a day in a women’s Test innings during the one-off match against England at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on Thursday.Opting to bat after winning the toss in its first Test at home since 2014, India piled on the runs with valuable contributions from the top and middle-order alike. Debutants Shubha Satheesh (69) and Jemimah Rodrigues (68) struck half-centuries while adding a 115-run stand for the third wicket.IND-W v ENG-W LIVE Score, Day 1Meanwhile, skipper Harmanpreet Kaur registered her highest Test score but fell short of a maiden fifty with a freakish run-out dismissal. Following her at number six, wicketkeeper Yastika Bhatia also notched up her maiden fifty with an 88-ball 66 comprising 10 fours and one six. Lower-order batters Deepti Sharma and Sneh Rana also raised a fifty-plus stand for the seventh wicket to help India past the 400-run mark. Deepti became the fourth half-centurion of the innings, crossing the mark in 78 balls. Deepti and Rana then led India past 400 in 89.1 overs. India also bettered its highest total at home, going past the previous best of 400/6 decl. against South Africa in its last home Test in 2014.India eventually entered stumps at 410 for seven in 94 overs, with Deepti (60*) and Pooja Vastrakar (4*) remaining unbeaten.It was the first instance of a team scoring more than 400 runs in a single day in women’s Tests in 88 years. England Women hold the overall record, having racked up a staggering 431 for two against New Zealand at Lancaster Park, Christchurch in 1935.India’s feat also marked only the third instance of 400-plus runs by both sides in a day and the highest aggregate in a day in India, surpassing the previous best of 379 by Australia Women (329-8) and India (50-0) in 1984.Most runs in a day in Women’s Tests 475 - New Zealand Women (44) v England Women (431-4), 1935 - Christchurch 449 - Australia Women (204-5) v England Women (245-9), 2022 - Canberra 410 - India Women (410-7) v England Women, 2023 - Navi Mumbai

[tsportsday]

India Women and England Women will face off in a one-off Test starting Thursday at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai.The teams will be featuring in a red-ball contest after two years when they played out a draw in Bristol. This will also mark the first Test between the sides in India since 2005. India edges England in terms of head-to-head results, with two wins to one across 14 meetings. 11 matches between the sides over the years have ended in a draw. IND-W VS ENG-W HEAD-TO-HEAD STATS IN TESTS Matches played: 14 India Women won: 2 England Women won: 1 Drawn: 11Last result: Match drawn (Bristol; July 2021) Last five results: IND won - 3; BAN won - 0, Draw - 2 Mithali Raj is the only double-centurion (214) in India-England women’s Test matches. | Photo Credit: Getty Images Mithali Raj is the only double-centurion (214) in India-England women’s Test matches. | Photo Credit: Getty Images IND-W VS ENG-W HIGHEST AND LOWEST SCORES IN TESTS IND (highest score) vs ENG: 467 (177.1) - Match drawn (Taunton; August 2002) IND (lowest score) vs BAN: 114 (64.2) - India won by six wickets (Wormsley; August 2014) ENG (highest score) vs IND: 396/9d (121.2) - Match drawn (Bristol; June 2021) ENG (lowest score) vs IND: 92 (41.2) - India won by six wickets (Wormsley; August 2014) IND (highest individual score) vs ENG: Mithali Raj 214 (407) (Taunton; August 2002) ( IND (Best bowling figures) vs ENG: Neetu David 8/53 (31.3) (Jamshedpur; November 1995) IND (Best match bowling figures) vs ENG: Jhulan Goswami 10/78 (49.2) (Taunton; August 2002) ENG (highest individual score) vs IND: Mohammad Ashraful 158* (194) (Chattogram; Dec. 2004) ENG (Best bowling figures) vs IND: Gillian McConway 7/34 (42) (Worcester; July 1986) ENG (Best match bowling figures) vs IND: Sophie Ecclestone 8/206 (64) (Bristol; June 2021) FILE PHOTO: Neetu David’s 8/53 against England in 1995 is the best bowling figures in a women’s Test innings. | Photo Credit: RAJEEV BHATT FILE PHOTO: Neetu David’s 8/53 against England in 1995 is the best bowling figures in a women’s Test innings. | Photo Credit: RAJEEV BHATT India Women vs England Women head-to-head stats in Tests in India Matches played: 5 India won: 0 England won: 1 Drawn: 4 Last result: Match drawn (Delhi; November 2005) Most Runs in India Women VS England Women Tests Batter Matches Runs Average Highest Score 50s/100s Mithali Raj (IND-W) 7 511 51.10 214 3/1 Anjum Chopra (IND-W) 9 448 32.00 98 3/0 Charlotte Edwards (ENG-W) 6 413 34.41 108 1/2 Sandhya Agarwal (IND-W) 4 376 62.66 204 0/2 Jan Brittin (ENG-W) 5 354 44.25 125 2/1Most Wickets in India Women VS England Women Tests Bowler Matches Wickets Average BBI Strike Rate Jhulan Goswami (IND-W) 7 30 16.36 5/25 48.1 Neetu David (IND-W) 6 25 19.24 8/53 63.8 Gillian McConway (ENG-W) 3 13 13.84 7/34 65.2 Jenny Gunn (ENG-W) 4 13 24.23 5/19 77/9 Purnima Rau (IND-W) 4 12 18.66 5/24 77.5

[tsportsday]

In 2021, when India played England in Bristol - the side’s first red-ball game in seven years - the overarching question was about the future of Tests in the women’s game. When India’s next stop in the longest form of the game came a few months later against Australia in Perth - a pink ball affair this time - the footnote remained unchanged. So when there is an 802-day gap for India’s next Test match, one can’t fault think tanks for struggling to strike a balance between backing proven warhorses and young blood waiting to show what they can do, for a four-day Test match.ALSO READ | Harmanpreet looking to script a victorious start to her legacy as red ball captainEngland has had better luck with fixtures given that Tests are a part of the multi-format Ashes series. The side features players comfortable with red ball cricket - from skipper Heather Knight to Tammy Beaumont, who comes into this Test after a scintillating 208 in the Trent Bridge Test earlier this year. This or thatEngland’s trump card though is undoubtedly Sophie Ecclestone who romps into this game as an automatic starter with seven wickets in three games in the recently concluded T20I series. When India and England sparred in the Bristol Test, Ecclestone took eight wickets to leave India grasping for air after which Sneh Rana and Taniya Bhatia pulled off a marvellous rescue act.  England’s Nat Sciver Brunt, Heather Knight and Sophie Ecclestone during the practice session ahead of India Vs England Test match. | Photo Credit: EMMANUAL YOGINI/The Hindu England’s Nat Sciver Brunt, Heather Knight and Sophie Ecclestone during the practice session ahead of India Vs England Test match. | Photo Credit: EMMANUAL YOGINI/The Hindu “Sophie recently dislocated her shoulder and that she has done the work and come back and continued to find success is a testament to the cricketer she is,” Beaumont said about her teammate. Knight has a couple of toss-ups on her hands. Emma Lamb’s injury means Beaumont will get a new opening partner with Maia Bouchier looking primed to take up that spot given the hard yards she put in at the nets. Sophia Dunkley, who has been woefully out of form for far longer than she would like, might not be out of the picture given the added option of leg spin she provides. Lauren Filer’s fastish rippers make her a good candidate to make the England XI and might help her edge out namesake Lauren Bell. “Conditions certainly impact the playing XI. You’re backing your best cricketers obviously, but heat and humidity means conversations of an extra batter and extra bowler come up and we’re leaning towards an extra bowler,” Knight said a day ahead of the game. Fresh facesOnly Harmanpreet and Smriti Mandhana remain from the 2014 side that faced South Africa. India’s selection choices may look simple or challenging depending on what the coach and captain want to prioritise in this game. Shafali Verma, Mandhana (who scored her maiden Test ton vs Australia), Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet, and Yastika Bhatia look set to form the top five, having put in performances that show their solidity in these positions.Given that any sign of grass on the wicket at the D.Y.Patil Stadium was meticulously shaved off over the day, India could look for a two-seamer-three-spinner combination, falling back on the tried and tested trio of Deepti Sharma, Sneh Rana and Rajeshwari Gayakwad. Renuka Thakur and Pooja Vastrakar can saddle pace duties.  Harmanpreet Kaur and Coach Amol Muzumdar during the practice session ahead of India Vs England Test match. | Photo Credit: EMMANUAL YOGINI/The Hindu Harmanpreet Kaur and Coach Amol Muzumdar during the practice session ahead of India Vs England Test match. | Photo Credit: EMMANUAL YOGINI/The Hindu “In 2014, I was the only offspinner in the side, and my first wicket was off a full toss. Now we have enough spinners that I won’t be needed with the ball,” Harmanpreet said before the game. But her off-spin and ability to find breakthroughs when momentum dries up will mean she might need to stay on the ball in more ways than one. England is set to play its 100th Test match, which will make it the first nation to get to the mark. With a more assured and seasoned outfit, Knight and Co. might have a slight edge over the home team, but it will come down to who reads the conditions the best and adapts a largely white-ball playing philosophy to the longest format of the game. SQUADSINDIA: Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet Kaur (C), Shafali Verma, Deepti Sharma, Harleen Deol, Shubha Satheesh, Meghna Singh, Pooja Vastrakar, Yastika Bhatia, Richa Ghosh, Sneh Rana, Saika Ishaque, Renuka Thakur, Titas Sadhu, Rajeshwari Gayakwad ENGLAND: Alice Capsey, Danielle Wyatt, Sophia Dunkley, Heather Knight (C), Nat Sciver-Brunt, Tammy Beaumont, Bess Heath, Amy Jones, Emma Lamb, Maia Bouchier, Lauren Bell, Kate Cross, Charlotte Dean, Sophie Ecclestone, Lauren Filer