Key events
India were on it with the ball, and really should’ve had Knight when Gaud whizzed the ball on to the front pad. Still can’t believe they didn’t review it. Anywho, it’s one of those days where I’m not entirely sure who claims it.
Issy Wong, speaking to Sky, reckons England have had a brilliant day. “I didn’t get loads of bounce but I’m also five foot six and a half so I’m not going to blame that necessarily on the pitch.”
Stumps
11th over: England 21-1 (Bouchier 17, Knight 1) Gaud switches ends and will finish the day for India. Bouchier flicks down the leg-side for four and doesn’t give India another late boost. Stumps it is.
10th over: England 17-1 (Bouchier 13, Knight 1) Gaud has been excellent but India fancy some spin before the close – here comes Sneh Rana. Knight edges … and the ball drops just short of Deepti at second slip. The former England captain is under the pump here, with just one off 20 deliveries.
9th over: England 17-1 (Bouchier 13, Knight 1) This has been a really good new-ball squeeze by India – though Bouchier eases some pressure with a boundary off Satghare.
8th over: England 13-1 (Bouchier 9, Knight 1) Has Gaud got another leg-before? She slams Knight’s front pad but the finger doesn’t go up. Surely India need to review that? They do not – I can’t believe that. It looks plumb … and the replays show it was three reds, the ball projected to hit middle and leg.
7th over: England 13-1 (Bouchier 9, Knight 1) Yastika Bhatia, up to the stumps, pulls of an excellent take after Satghare sends one down the leg-side. That’s two maidens in a row.
6th over: England 13-1 (Bouchier 9, Knight 1) A corker from Gaud, who nips one past Knight’s outside edge. England have another 15 sticky minutes to navigate.
5th over: England 13-1 (Bouchier 9, Knight 1) Satghare finds some decent movement into Bouchier, who gets off strike with a clip. The keeper is up to the stumps as India try to squeeze England, Satghare going stump-to-stump, the visitors looking more energetic after that wicket.
WICKET! Beaumont lbw Gaud 2 (England 9-1)
Bouchier is playing her third Test but already has a ton on the résumé, against South Africa on debut in December 2024. Gaud bounces in … and gets rid of Beaumont! It’s full, straight, jags into the right-hander and the senior opener doesn’t even bother with a review.
4th over: England 9-1 (Bouchier 6, Knight 0)
3rd over: England 8-0 (Bouchier 5, Beaumont 2) Beaumont punches off Satghare for a quick one and Bouchier nicks a single, too – smart running from the openers.
2nd over: England 6-0 (Bouchier 4, Beaumont 1) Beaumont is immediately off the mark, hiding any nerves if they’re there, punching into the covers for one off Gaud. A reminder of her Test-best: 208 against Australia at Trent Bridge three years ago.
1st over: England 3-0 (Bouchier 2, Beaumont 0) Satghare takes the fresh cherry, two slips waiting for Bouchier to trip up, the seamer primed to hoop the ball into the right-hander. Bouchier is up and running with a drive through mid-off, collecting a couple.
Out comes Tammy Beaumont in her final England appearance – Maia Bouchier will take the strike, though.
India all out for 285
Villiers has bowled for an age – yet still has the energy to chase down a ball to the ropes and deny Charani a boundary. That means Gaud’s on strike and Ecclestone whizzes down a quick, straight one. The end.
WICKET! Gaud b Ecclestone 1 (India 285 all out)
WICKET! Deepti c Knight b Ecclestone 57 (India 282-9)
Deepti decides it’s time to smash it, but can only find Heather Knight at catching midwicket with a hack across the line.
Ecclestone becomes England’s leading wicket-taker
74th over: India 282-8 (Deepti 57, Gaud 1) That was Ecclestone’s 336th wicket for England, making her their leading wicket-taker across formats. That’s an astonishing achievement from the 27-year-old. Villiers nearly has Kranti Gaud’s wicket – Sciver-Brunt can’t hold on at slip after a booming drive produces an edge.
WICKET! Satghare lbw Ecclestone 1 (India 279-8)
Satghare misses completely while trying to clip Ecclestone and the finger goes up. India review, hoping that ball’s travelling down the leg-side … it ain’t.
73rd over: India 279-8 (Deepti 55)
72nd over: India 279-7 (Deepti 55, Satghare 1) It’s all very quiet at the moment. Spin at both ends with the odd single.
71st over: India 278-7 (Deepti 55, Satghare 0) Satghare blocks away against Ecclestone, remaining scoreless after 14 deliveries.
70th over: India 276-7 (Deepti 53, Satghare 0) Villiers tweaks away for her 17th over on the bounce.
69th over: India 275-7 (Deepti 52, Sayali 0) Ecclestone skips through her six in quick time.
68th over: India 274-7 (Deepti 51, Satghare 0) Sayali Satghare is up next for India, who were staring at something much bigger when they were 190 for three.
WICKET! Rana lbw Villiers 13 (India 274-7)
Oh, that’s out, surely? Villiers goes full to Rana, slapping the front pad, but the umpire says no. England are adamant and go upstairs. And they’re right to: it’s three reds, the ball expected to crash into leg stump. Rana departs.
Half-century for Deepti Sharma!
67th over: India 273-6 (Deepti 50, Rana 13) Word has come through: Lord’s has recorded an attendance of 10,763 for the first day of women’s Test cricket at this ancient ground. Deepti nudges the ball into the leg-side and steals a quick single for her milestone moment.
66th over: India 271-6 (Deepti 49, Rana 12) And we’re back with Villiers, who Rana and Deepti knock into the gaps to collect four off the over. The left-hander is closing in on her fifth Test half-century.
65th over: India 267-6 (Deepti 46, Rana 11) Deepti continues to sweep at anything in reach, and collects a single off Ecclestone. A brilliantly bowled arm ball nearly cleans up Rana. Time for drinks.
64th over: India 266-6 (Deepti 45, Rana 11) Sciver-Brunt continues with Villiers – I’m struggling to remember life before Villiers started this spell from the Nursery End.
63rd over: India 258-6 (Deepti 40, Rana 8) Ecclestone goes up in appeal against Rana … though I reckon the ball’s going down the leg-side. Rana nicks a quick single to close the over.
62nd over: India 257-6 (Deepti 40, Rana 7) Deepti’s rocking now. She welcomes Villiers’ loop, sweeping for four before whacking another to the deep midwicket rope. Time for England to shift things up from the Nursery End, I reckon.
61st over: India 246-6 (Deepti 31, Rana 5) Filer digs one in short … and Deepti pulls safely for a single.
60th over: India 243-6 (Deepti 30, Rana 3) Villiers continues her long spell, and she’s just lost a bit of control in her last few overs – Deepti, looking more and more confident, sweeps away for four.
59th over: India 237-6 (Deepti 25, Rana 2) Deepti carves Filer away, over the cordon for four.
58th over: India 232-6 (Deepti 20, Rana 2) Sneh Rana joins Deepti and cuts Villiers away for a couple. I remember her Test debut pretty well, at Bristol in 2021 – she hit an unbeaten 80 in India’s second innings.
WICKET! Ghosh c Wong b Filer 13 (India 229-6)
Filer’s going a bit too wide against Deepti – when she gets it straighter, out comes the full toss, bunted away for one. But she closes the over with a wicket! Ghosh plays an edgy pull to a short ball that doesn’t really rise; Issy Wong dives forward at deep fine leg to take a fine catch. England continue to cut through.
57th over: India 229-6 (Deepti 20, Rana 0)
56th over: India 228-5 (Deepti 18, Ghosh 13) Villiers continues, looping it wide outside off – Ghosh swishes and misses. There’s a shout for a stumping but Ghosh is fine. Villiers then loses her length: she’s pulled for four when dropping short, driven for another boundary off a full toss. Ghosh moves to double figures.
55th over: India 218-5 (Deepti 18, Ghosh 3) Filer, from over the wicket, hangs the ball outside off stump to Deepti, trying to tempt the left-hander. The India all-rounder doesn’t fall for it, seeing out a maiden.
54th over: India 218-5 (Deepti 18, Ghosh 3) Villiers settles in from around the wicket to Deepti, who continues to get the sweep out. This is Villiers’ first appearance for England since September 2024, and she’s having a good time with those classical offies.
53rd over: India 215-5 (Deepti 16, Ghosh 2) Deepti, having looked a bit rusty before the break, collects another boundary, tucking Filer around the leg-side corner.
52nd over: India 207-5 (Deepti 9, Ghosh 1) Here we go again, with Villiers back to complete her over. The power-packed Richa Ghosh is in … and Villiers rips a delicious off-break to the new batter. Welcome to the middle. Deepti sweeps hard for four before a leg-before shout closes the over. Villiers has got some decent rhythm here.
Tea – India 202-5
Villiers has her first Test wicket – not sure she’ll bowl many better than that one. That was a dreamy delivery.
WICKET! Harmanpreet b Villiers 58 (India 202-5)
An absolute beaut! Villiers has been giving the ball some serious air throughout her spell and she delivers against Harmanpreet, ripping the ball through the gate to bowl the India captain for 58. And with that work of art, time for tea.
