IND-W vs AUS-W Test: Deepti, Vastrakar extend India’s lead with century stand on Day 2

With the ball keeping low and turning as it became older, not for once did the lack of experience in playing Test cricket reflect in India’s batting as it ended the day at 376 for six, with a lead of 157 runs.

Deepti became the second woman with fifty-plus scores in each of her first four Tests after Australia’s Denise Emerson. | Photo Credit: EMMANUAL YOGINI/The Hindu

India dominated the second day of the one-off Test against Australia at the Wankhede Stadium, riding on fifties by four batters - Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues, debutant Richa Ghosh and Deepti Sharma - and two century stands on either side of a second-session fumble.

With the ball keeping low and turning as it became older, not for once did the lack of experience in playing Test cricket reflect in India’s batting as it ended the day at 376 for six, with a lead of 157 runs.

India vs Australia Day 2 Highlights

From the overnight score of 98 for one, India reigned supreme - barring a nervy second session, where it lost four wickets for just 14 runs - and as Deepti (70 n.o., 147b, 9x4) and Pooja Vastrakar (33 n.o., 115b, 4x4) built an unbeaten 102-run partnership for the eighth wicket in the final session, the home team recovered and managed to extend the lead.

From 260 for three, with Richa and Rodrigues frustrating the spinners by sweeping, India found itself in a spot of bother as Ashleigh Gardner (4 for 100) and Kim Garth claimed quick wickets.

However, all-rounders Vastrakar and Deepti showed resilience and went on to compile a 100-run partnership in 232 balls to add to Australia’s woes. As the touring side took the new ball after the 88th over, the Indian batters made the most of the opportunities. Deepti charged down the track to the spinners to keep the scoreboard ticking. In the process, she became the second woman with fifty-plus scores in each of her first four Tests after Australia’s Denise Emerson. Australia used eight of its bowlers, but none could break the partnership. Playing second fiddle, Vastrakar relied on taking singles.

Richa Ghosh with her parents after Day 2 of the Test match between India and Australia at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. | Photo Credit: EMMANUAL YOGINI/The Hindu

If the final session was all about grit, India started the proceedings on Friday on a promising note as Mandhana, who resumed on 43, looked determined to convert her fifty into a big one. At a time when it looked like a certainty, a mix-up between Richa and Mandhana ended in the latter throwing her wicket away, falling 26 runs short of her second Test ton.

However, India did not lose the plot. Richa - considered a T20 specialist - made the most of a dropped catch by Ellyse Perry on 14, and silenced her critics with a determined maiden half-century. Pairing with Rodrigues, she added 113 runs for the fourth wicket. With astute running between the wickets and sweep shots, Richa and Rodrigues troubled the Australian bowlers. In her second Test, Rodrigues reached yet another fifty in her 121-ball stay. Though Garth and Gardner found a breakthrough, the lower-order ensured there was no slip-up.