INDW v ENGW: India out for 428, achieves their second-highest score ever

Navi Mumbai, Dec 15 (IANS) India Women added 18 runs to their overnight score, losing the remaining three wickets, as their innings folded for 428 all out in 104.3 overs on the second morning of the four-day, one-off Test against England Women at the DY Patil Stadium here on Friday.

This is the second-highest score achieved by the Indian Women ever, as they got past the 426/9d they set up against England at Blackpool in 1986.

Starting at the overnight score of 410/7, the hosts had wanted to at least reach the psychological of 450 and make England field for at least an hour and frustrate them further. Achieving their highest-total evet of 467 they scored against England at Taunton two years back.

Their hopes rested mainly on Deepti Sharma, who was batting on 60 with Pooja Vastrakar on 4. But Deepti managed to add only seven runs to her total before an inswinger bowled full by Lauren Bell took the outside edge and went straight to Sophie Ecclestone at first slip. Deepti was out for 67 off 113 balls and was studded with 10 fours and one six.

From 421/8, India lost Renuka Singh (1) and Rajeshwari Gauakwad (0) for seven runs as Vastrakar remained not out on 10 off 45 balls (2x4).

India now have to bowl 87 overs in the remaining period of play and hope to restrict England to as few runs as possible to press home their advantage.

Ecclestone cleaned up the last two Indian wickets to end up with figures of 3-91 while Lauren Bell was the most successful of the England bowlers with 3-67.

Brief scores:

India 428 all out in 104.3 overs (Shubha Satheesh 69, Jemimah Rodrigues 68, Yastika Bhatia 66, Deepti Sharma 67, Harmanpreet Kaur 49; Lauren Bell 3-67, Sophie Ecclestone 3-91) against England Women