Hello and welcome to the highlights of the one-off Test between India Women and England Women from Bristol County Ground.
LIVE COVERAGE OF DAY 2:
SUMMARY: And that brings us to the end of proceedings on day 1 of the one-off Test between India and England. England won the toss and chose to bat, to try and take advantage of anything the 'used' pitch at Bristol might offer. After a cautious start, half centuries from Tammy Beaumont and Heather Knight set the host up nicely for a big total, with the Indian bowlers tiring out by tea. However, spinners Deepti Sharma and Sneh Rana took five wickets between them to snatch the advantage back in India's favour - effecting a collapse of sorts towards the evening and denying skipper Knight a century. Sophia Dunkley and Katherine Brunt saw England through the day and will hope to hold off the Indians some more when they take to the crease again tomorrow.
It's been a great day of cricket, with loads of talking points. We're heading over to Twitter for a Spaces session on this match. Do join us. Until tomorrow, goodbye, stay safe and stay healthy.
Sophia Dunkley: It is a big occassion today. After a good run in the Heyhoe, I wanted to do well here. I was just trying to be there till the end of the day, not get out and just score. I'm feeling good, hope we get out there and see what we can do in the morning.
That's it for day 1 of the Bristol Test. STUMPS
90.2. DUNKLEY IN TROUBLE. LBW appeal. Umpire says no. India reviews. Ian Gould gets a second look at that and sees the ball hitting bat and then pad. Safe. India loses a review now. Sophia is smiling, she was at the mercy of the third umpire given England has exhausted its three chances.
Change of bowling from the pavilion end. Shikha Pandey comes in, after the 53rd over.
Meanwhile, we caught up with former head of the BCCI Ground and Pitch Committee Daljit Singh about this Bristol pitch . "It is not fair or correct," Singh said, calling for ICC intervention and putting a clear set of guidelines in place. "If this would have been the other way around, the English would not have appreciated us giving them a pitch like this." Read more here.
Second new ball has been taken.
Tammy Beaumont said earlier today that this side had a target of around 300 for this innings. Can the English side get there or even do better? Getting through this session without losing a wicket will be crucial to that prospect. Onus on Dunkley here to stay calm and channel some of that RHF Trophy form. Sneh Rana meanwhile will have her eyes on that potential fifer.
Still no new ball, but in comes Goswami. She hasn't bowled since the 52nd over and is in to just get warmed up before getting into it.
81.2. WICKET!
And Elwiss walks.Sneh Rana is having a dream debut! A third wicket for her as Elwiss is caught by Deepti Sharma. India turning the table in the second half of the final session. England, after a dominating start, losing its way a bit. Katherine Brunt joins Dunkley
.
Second new ball is available now. India don't opt for it straightaway.
A valiant effort from Knight comes to premature end. Three quick wickets. Thus brings in all-rounder Georgia Elwiss. Two new batters at the crease. Just what India wants at this stage.
78.1. BIG FISH. Heather Knight has to go. The England skipper is castled there by Deepti Sharma by a ball hitting her straight in the pads. The much dreaded 'umpire's call' sends Knight back to the pavilion, five runs short of her century. INDIA IS BACK IN THIS GAME. What was more frustrating? The decision or the wait for ball tracking to come on?
75.4. OUT: Another over, another review for England. Big shout by the Indian field for the wicket of Amy Jones - LBW. Ian Gould, the third umpire, rules out bat involvement. While it is pitching outside the line, the ball goes straight to the wickets on the tracker. Another review lost and Amy Jones who brings in a thick vein of form in the Rachel Heyhoe Flint trophy, will have to settle for a solitary run in this innings. Advantage India now with these two quick wickets. This means, in comes Sophia Dunkley , whose presence in the team is historic in itself.
73.6. OUT. Sciver sweeps a fuller delivery. LBW appeal! The finger goes up and a grumpy Sciver asks for a referral. That's right, this game has DRS! But what a waste, the ball tracking shows the delivery going right into the heart of the stumps. England loses its third wicket. Redemption of some degree for Deepti Sharma.
STAT: Heather Knight is on 83 off 153 balls. This is now her second highest Test score after a top score of 157.
There's no shaking these two. The closest India has come to so much as just unsettling this duo is a potential stumping and a dropped catch, all from Harmanpreet's over (the 69th).
It was a simple catch at midwicket. India's problems very similar to the ones we saw in South Africa. Given this is the VERY NEXT series they've played, there's only so much we can do about it. England is not complaining. The pace of scoring, rotation of strike has gotten better. Sciver is getting into the groove of things with Knight marching towards that hundred.
India vice-captain Harmanpreet Kaur comes into the attack, but it's evident that the Indians are tired. It's showing in their body language as England confidently goes beyond 200.
58.2. FIFTY for Heather Knight - nice way to mark a 100th game as captain. We all know what would be better, but I am not going to jinx it. She drives this one too, just like her first runs of the day and manages to get three runs down deep cover, enough to get to her milestone.
The sun has gone down a bit here. Not as bright as it was before tea. The Indian side looked exhausted before coming on.
This is such an important image. If you, like so many others, watched Ebony's Rainford-Brent's emotional video with Michael Holding in the wake of the Black Livess Matter movement - which also won a BAFTA - you'd see how much emphasis she placed on the startlingly few BAME cricket players among women. Sophia Dunkley's maiden Test cap today is significant because of what it means for the community and its representation on one of the largest sporting platforms in the country. Truly, two trailblazers. Will Dunkley get to bat today? We'll have to wait and watch. We're back with action from Bristol.
Session Update:
Another session going England's way. Just the one wicket lost, 76 runs added. India has a minimum of 45 overs to get through. It's going to be fun to see how the side gets there with the current overrate. Grab your snacks and join us in a few minutes as play resumes in Bristol.
**************** TEA [162/2 in 55 overs] ******************
8PM: We're just getting to the 55th over now and Heather Knight is nearing a half century in her 100th match as England skipper. Vastrakar is bowling the last over before tea.
We'd like to hear from you! Join us for this one today
48.1. ONE HANDED BRILLIANCE FROM SHAFALI VERMA! TAMMY BEAUMONT WALKS. No century for her after a brilliant day of batting. Sneh Rana gets her maiden Test wicket and an important one at that. A measured 66 off 144. We have to commend Shafali for what she's pulled off there, she honestly looked miserable at short leg, wincing when deliveries came too close to the face, but she's held on when it mattered and has removed someone who was being a real bother for India here today.
The Indian physio is giving Punam Raut some attention for her back while Shikha Pandey gears up to bowl right after drinks. Raut's back seems to have some stiffness given she's been in that shortleg position all day.
It's 7:15pm IST on the clock. England has dominated the session with a 56-run partnership so far between Beaumont and Knight as well. Largely undisturbed the Englishwomen today.
Another important discussion to have today is the overrate . This has been a slow day. If we're looking at 100 overs a day, India has to accelerate the proceedings here a little.
36 overs bowled today. Jhulan has bowled 13 of them. WHAT.A.WORKHORSE.
Variation needed in the bowling? It's interesting to see Jhulan go traditionally down the line for almost the entire of the first session and now the start of the second. There is a fair bit of swing for the bowler. Why the Indians are not trying to draw these batters out of their crease and just targetting the pads almost exclusively is a little puzzling.
30.5. Tammy Beaumont has cruised to a half century
, with the ball paddled off down the leg side. She's paced herself well, especially given the uncertainties of the pitch. The no.1 ODI batter is determined to leave her stamp on red ball cricket and this is as good a go at that than any!
The Indian fielding is sluggish today, more so after lunch. Some stiff bodies by the 30-yards circle here in Bristol.
Charlotte Edwards believes that Jhulan and Mithali are in the twilight years of what's been brilliant individual careers. But, "if she continues to bowl like this...? We agree, Charlotte.
Welcome back. Lunch for England is tea for us in India and I've got my snacks and coffee (gasp) in hand, all set for another session. Jhulan will start things off and she's got two slips and a gully in place.
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Session update: Despite a slow start, the session went comfortably in England's favour and Tammy Beaumont has come up to the broadcaster to give us a first hand perspective on how England tackled in. Just the one wicket lost for England.
Tammy Beaumont: We just wanted to settle in and win that first hour. We didn't want to look at the scoreboard so much and just get through. Very often you want to play One Day cricket and get on with it.
About tackling long innings: We tried to see how the England men changed their approach. We saw how they win the first session by getting about 50 or 60 for no loss. They can go ahead then because they have wickets in the bag. We have a target of 300. It's good to have these targets.
The Wicket is pretty dead, not much sideways movement. Great to bat so far but don't want to jinx anything.
**** LUNCH HAS BEEN TAKEN [ENG: 86/1]****
26.5 OH AGONIZING CLOSE THIS! Tammy Beaumont misreads this a little as she gets down on a knee to drive this delivery from Sharma going close to the eyeline.
Bowling change for India: Deepti Sharma comes on.
Lovely cover drive from Heather Knight to get off the mark here. But we don't have visuals of that yet. What we do, is a snippet of Lauren Winfield-Hill's strokemaking before Vastrakar smoked her out. Watch:
5:21pm: Things have gone a little quiet after Winfried-Hill has gone off. Beaumont is continuing to find the gaps though. Jhulan is doing her all to stay in a disciplined line here.
Ebony Rainford-Brent on commentary seems to think that the most delightful match-up of this game will be between Jhulan Goswami who likes to appeal a lot and umpire Chris Watts who likes to keep his hand down a lot. Cheeky.
GONE! VASTRAKAR STRIKES. Winfield-Hill walks.
Bowled on the off-stump here and Winfield-Hill thinks she can get this on the off side. A thick edge is produced and Taniya Bhatia makes no mistake as she makes a one-handed catch by diving to her right. Not leaving it to slips eh, Taniya? India has the breakthrough it was restlessly pitching for. In comes skipper Heather Knight - playing her 100th game as England skipper.
The pick up in pace is very evident now as Beaumont and Winfried-Hill take advantage of an impatient Indian bowling arsenal.
FIRST SIX OF THE MATCH right at the end of the 17th. Shikha Pandey sends in a short ball and Winfield-Hill frees up her arms to hit that one over midwicket. That brings up the fifty partnership for Beaumont and Winfield-Hill as well.
As we head into the 17th over after drinks, we see Bhatia is up to the stumps now for Shikha Pandey. Much better for her.
Bowling change: Sneh Raha comes in now.
- We have two slips, a forward short leg. First two deliveries and Rana has caused a few problems here. The delivery is swinging in to Beaumont's pads and the English opener is purely focussing on guarding her off-stump now. Right after, Beumont sweeps a delivery which could have gone all so wrong had she missed. Not much speed, but the ball is in the air for quite a while. Good start here for Rana.
ENG 38/0 in 13 overs: India has had a few shoddy movements on the field today. Smriti Mandhana's dropped opportunity and now Taniya Bhatia. She's also had a few 'switched off' moments especially when trying to guard the stumps for a potential runout.
Jhulan Goswami has 40 Test wickets. 23 of those have been English batters. How many do you reckon she'll manage in this game?
Winfield-Hill is looking vulnerable in that off stump area. Opportunity for India to try and draw out an error. Goswami is sticking to a disciplined line and length for the time being though
First bowling change comes in the 8th over - Vastrakar to the attack. She's come in place of Shikha now to aid Goswami.
6.2 OV: EDGED! DROPPED A full delivery from Goswami here, goes quickly to Smriti Mandhana, who can't hold on to it. Winfield-Hill survives. Jhulan's line is impeccably consistent and if that had worked, my word, England would have been in a bit of trouble.
For those of you joining us now, welcome. It's a slow sunny day in Bristol and England has opted to bat.
If you're wondering why there's such a fuss about the pitch - let me fill you in. Everyone wants to take advantage of a pitch that's being reused after a Gloucestershire T20 game last Friday. Heather Knight was not happy about playing on a wicket that wasn't fresh but found no point in moaning about it.
This brings back memories for Knight & Co particularly of a dull Ashes game on another reused pitch in Taunton a few years ago. This wicket has already had 39 overs of T20 cricket on it. How it behaves today will be interesting to see. The ECB has issued an apology for the pitch.
This series works on a point system. We have three ODIs, three T20Is and this lone Test with four points for a win, two for a draw and one for no result on ofer in the Test. In the white ball matches, a win is worth two points. Total: 16 points up for grabs
This series will also see the use of DRS.
Jhulan and Shikha on rotation now.
Jhulan's nagging length balls have England on alert. The openers are cautious. Jhulan is getting some movement from this pitch, Winfield-Hill and Beaumont are happy to defend and take things slow. Shikha too is getting an inward swing from this pitch. There's an LBW shout at the end of her over with the ball angling in. Height saves England and no fuss is made.
3:30pm AND WE BEGIN. Jhulan Goswami to begin proceedings for India. More than 20 years of cricket at the highest level course through her veins as she spearheads this Indian arsenal. Three slips, gully shortleg - competitive field this from Raj.
3:15pm: Here's what the captains said after the toss:
Heather Knight: I'm really proud to be playing my 100th game as captain, but today is not about me, it's about my team and getting off to a good start to what will hopefully be a good week. There's been a lot of talk about the pitch but it looks good and we want to make the most of it first up. We've just got to play what's in front of us
Mithali Raj: We would've batted. I think the first session will be crucial - if we get some early breakthroughs we can put the pressure on them. We know it's a used pitch but the groundsmen have had the roller on it and it looks fresh, so hopefully our bowlers can get a bit out of it today.
3:10pm: It's a great day for cricket here in Bristol. Quite a few significant milestones in sight as well. Heather Knight is playing her 100th game as England skipper. Sophia Dunkley is the first Black woman ever to play Tests for England. Maiden Test cap for Shafali Verma in India's first Test in seven years. Phew.
TOSS UPDATE: ENG WOMEN HAVE WON THE TOSS AND ELECTED TO BAT.
England Women (Playing XI): Lauren Winfield Hill, Tammy Beaumont, Heather Knight(c), Natalie Sciver, Amy Ellen Jones(w), Sophia Dunkley, Georgia Elwiss, Katherine Brunt, Anya Shrubsole, Sophie Ecclestone, Kate Cross
India Women (Playing XI) : Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Punam Raut, Mithali Raj(c), Harmanpreet Kaur, Deepti Sharma, Sneh Rana, Taniya Bhatia(w), Jhulan Goswami, Pooja Vastrakar, Shikha Pandey
- PREVIEW -
A favourable record in England and "positive mindset" despite inadequate preparation time will spur the Indian women's cricket team when it takes on the seasoned hosts in its first Test engagement in nearly seven years here from Wednesday.
After multiple quarantines in India and UK, the Mithali Raj-led squad got little over a week to prepare for its first red ball game since November 2014.
Mithali was among the seven current players, who were a part of that victorious eleven against South Africa in Mysuru.
While experienced players like the skipper, her deputy Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana and Jhulan Goswami have not played red ball cricket at all in recent times, it will be an even tougher test for the younger lot who don't get to play first-class matches in domestic cricket.
WATCH: The one-off Test between England and India will be played on a used pitch. England captain Heather Knight said the situation was "unfortunate".
MILESTONE ALERT
A. Heather Knight plays her 100th game as captain when she takes on India at Bristol
B. India has won its last three Tests (two vs England, one vs South Africa). If it wins in Bristol, it will level with Australia for most consecutive Test wins in women's cricket (four).
SQUADS:
India: Mithali Raj (captain), Smriti Mandhana, Harmanpreet Kaur (vice-captain), Punam Raut, Priya Punia, Deepti Sharma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Shafali Verma, Sneh Rana, Taniya Bhatia (wicket-keeper), Indrani Roy, Jhulan Goswami, Shikha Pandey, Pooja Vastrakar, Arundhati Reddy, Poonam Yadav, Ekta Bisht, Radha Yadav.
England: Heather Knight (captain), Emily Arlott, Tammy Beaumont, Katherine Brunt, Kate Cross, Freya Davies, Sophia Dunkley, Sophie Ecclestone, Georgia Elwiss, Tash Farrant, Sarah Glenn, Amy Jones, Nat Sciver (vice-captain), Anya Shrubsole, Mady Villiers, Fran Wilson, Lauren Winfield-Hill.
Where are the teams playing?
The one-off Test will be played at the Bristol County Ground. Bristol has not seen a men's or women's Test match yet.
Where to watch - telecast and live streaming details
The one-off Test match between India and England women in India will be telecast on Sony TEN 1 and available for live streaming on Sony Liv. Jio TV and Airtel XStream will also provide live streaming.
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