Navi Mumbai, Dec 14: Debutants Shubha Satheesh (69) and Jemimah Rodrigues (68) made fine half-centuries as India’s ultra-aggressive approach with the bat took them to a massive 410 for 7 at stumps on Day 1 of their one-off women’s Test against England here on Thursday.
Playing their first Test in nearly two years, and their maiden red-ball game on home soil in nine years, India rarely took the foot off the pedal on a batting-friendly surface at the DY Patil Stadium, garnering nearly five runs per over.
The 24-year-old Shubha stood tall with a 76-ball 69 studded with 13 boundaries, displaying immaculate footwork and impeccable reading of the line and length to score her runs at a strike rate of nearly 91.Shubha became the 12th India batter to score a fifty on debut, but she could not convert it into a century, which would have made her the first from the country to make a ton in her maiden appearance. She departed when Sophie Ecclestone (1/85) had her caught by Nat Sciver-Brunt.Jemimah too produced a knock befitting her calibre, smacking 11 fours during her 99-ball stay.
The young batter looked good for a three-figure score but played one on to her wickets off Lauren Bell (2/64).Shubha and Jemimah were instrumental in setting the tone for the hosts’ domination after the team appeared to be stuttering following a brisk start, adding 115 runs for the third wicket to enter the record books.
The partnership between the duo is now the second-highest in Test cricket for the third wicket.
It was a day when the Indians were within sniffing distance of resetting several records but fell short.India skipper Harmanpreet Kaur began with a sweep shot and looked in rich vein of form, but her bat got stuck in the ground while completing a run and Dani Wyatt’s throw ended her stay. (PTI)
