Yastika Bhatia nears maiden Test century, India extend MASSIVE lead at Lord’s

India strengthened their hold on the lone Test match in the women’s series against England with yet another solid batting display on the third day at Lord’s.

A composed knock from Yastika Bhatia ensured the visitors kept adding to their tally after already having a healthy first-innings lead, leaving England facing a daunting task in the closing stages of the match. With plenty of batting still to come and the pitch beginning to show signs of wear, England now face an uphill battle to stay in the contest.

Yastika Bhatia anchors India’s innings with unbeaten 91

India resumed the day at 154/1 but lost a few wickets in the morning session. Despite that, Yastika remained calm at the crease and played a crucial unbeaten innings of 91, keeping the scoreboard moving with positive strokeplay.

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The left-hander struck 10 boundaries and combined caution with attacking intent whenever England offered scoring opportunities. She will now look to convert her fine knock into her maiden Test century after lunch, with Deepti Sharma unbeaten on 10 at the other end.

Smriti misses another century, Bell shines with the ball

Smriti Mandhana began the day on the verge of a century but once again fell short of the three-figure mark. After adding just one run to her overnight score, she was caught behind down the leg side off Lauren Bell, with Amy Jones pulling off an excellent diving catch.

Bell struck again soon after, producing a superb inswinger that beat Jemimah Rodrigues and crashed into the stumps.

India captain Harmanpreet Kaur looked comfortable during her quick 16-run innings, hitting two boundaries before Sophie Ecclestone trapped her lbw. England reviewed the on-field decision successfully to claim another important wicket.

Yastika survives chances as England miss opportunities

Even after India lost wickets at regular intervals, Yastika continued to frustrate England. She completed her second Test half-century in 86 balls and gradually shifted gears as the innings progressed.

The wicketkeeper-batter also enjoyed a slice of luck. An inside edge off Lauren Bell rolled onto the stumps but failed to dislodge the bails, while Mady Villiers later dropped a straightforward return catch when Yastika was on 86.

She made England pay for those missed opportunities by finding the boundary regularly, including back-to-back fours off Lauren Filer before moving into the nineties.

Yastika finished the session unbeaten on 91 after taking a single off the final ball before lunch, helping India reach 250/4 and putting the visitors in a commanding position.

India scored 285 in the first innings before reaching 250/4 in 67 overs in their second innings. Yastika Bhatia remained unbeaten on 91, while Smriti Mandhana made 70. For England, Lauren Bell picked up 2/27 and Sophie Ecclestone claimed 2/84. Earlier, England were bowled out for 170, with Amy Jones scoring 52 and Kranti Gaud starring with 5/37. India lead the match by 365 runs.