Yastika Bhatia Nears Historic Lord’s Test Century Milestone

LONDON: (Sports Desk) – Yastika Bhatia moved within touching distance of history on Sunday as India continued to dominate England in the inaugural women’s Test match at Lord’s, leaving the hosts with a massive challenge in the contest.

India reached 250-4 in their second innings at lunch on the third day, extending their overall lead to 365 runs, with Bhatia unbeaten on 91 and just nine runs away from becoming the first woman to score a Test century at the iconic venue.

Bhatia survived an early scare on the opening ball of the day when a Lauren Bell delivery beat her inside edge and clipped the off stump without removing the bails. She capitalised on the opportunity, bringing up her fifty from 86 balls with six boundaries.

The match represents a historic moment for women’s cricket at Lord’s, the traditional home of cricket, following more than a century of men’s Test history at the ground.

England already faced a daunting task before the start of play, needing an unprecedented fourth-innings chase to secure victory. The highest successful chase in women’s Test history remains Australia’s 198-run target achieved against England in Sydney in 2011.

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India had resumed the day at 154-1 after building a strong position on the back of Smriti Mandhana’s impressive batting. However, Mandhana missed out on a potential landmark after adding only one run to her overnight score of 69 before being dismissed by Bell.

The left-hander scored 69 from 130 deliveries, including nine fours and a six, before being caught by wicketkeeper Amy Jones after a diving effort confirmed by the third umpire.

Bhatia continued to keep India’s momentum going, producing a superb straight drive off Bell to complete her second Test half-century. Although Jemimah Rodrigues and captain Harmanpreet Kaur departed cheaply, India remained firmly in control of the historic encounter.