Snehasis Mukherjee, London
Day one of the first-ever Women’s Test at Lord’s came to an end with India being bowled out for 285 before England reached 21/1 at stumps. While the action now shifts to day two, one of India’s biggest positives from the opening day was vice-captain Smriti Mandhana. The left-hander played a delightful innings of 83, laced with 11 fours and a six. Although she missed out on a century and a place on the Lord’s Honours Boards, the knock came in her 300th international appearance, making her only the 12th woman to reach the milestone.
Mandhana made a cautious start to her innings. Her opening partner, Shafali Verma, departed for a four-ball duck, but Yastika Bhatia walked in at No. 3 and took responsibility for keeping the scoreboard moving, allowing Mandhana time to settle. She struck her first boundary off the 11th ball she faced, driving Lauren Bell beautifully through the covers. It was a classic front-foot cover drive that showcased Mandhana’s elegance.
The pair built a useful partnership before Bell produced a superb delivery to dismiss Yastika. Jemimah Rodrigues then joined Mandhana in the middle, and the partnership appeared to free up the opener’s scoring. The duo added 64 runs for the third wicket, during which Mandhana brought up her half-century. She then stitched together another important stand of 89 runs with captain Harmanpreet Kaur.
However, just when she looked set for a three-figure score, Issy Wong dismissed her. Mandhana chased a delivery well outside the off stump, away from her body, and edged it behind to Amy Jones. It was a sharp catch by the England wicketkeeper, but it was also an avoidable shot, especially in the longest format after she had done all the hard work.
There appeared to be a brief lapse in concentration as she could not resist going after the wide delivery. Speaking after the day’s play at the press conference, Wong revealed that the plan was to bowl round the wicket and keep the ball outside the off stump to unsettle Mandhana, hoping she would play at it. The plan eventually worked.
For a batter of Mandhana’s quality, the dismissal would have been frustrating. She looked well set for a big score, and converting the innings into a century could have helped India post a total closer to 350 after reaching 190/3 at one stage.
Interestingly, Mandhana found scoring difficult in the second session. She was unbeaten on 56 off 67 balls at lunch but managed only 27 runs from her next 41 deliveries. Her scoring rate slowed considerably, and that may have played a part in her dismissal. Even so, the runs came at an important time. Mandhana had struggled for consistency in recent matches despite getting starts. After back-to-back fifties in the first two games of the recently concluded series, she failed to make significant contributions in the following three matches.
An 83 may not have been the perfect way to celebrate the first-ever Women’s Test at Lord’s and her 300th international match. A century on such an occasion would have made it even more memorable. Yet her innings remains significant, as Mandhana became the first batter to score a fifty in a Women’s Test at Lord’s—a landmark achievement that will always be remembered.
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