England vs India, single test, Lord’s (day three of four)

india 285 (Mandhana 83; Ecclestone 3-68) & 341-Dec 7 (Bhatia 113; Ecclestone 5-118)

England 170 (Jones 52; Gaudí 5-37) & 130-6 (Jones 52*; Satghare 2-19)

England trail by 327 runs

Scorekeeper

England face a tough defeat heading into the fourth and final day of the women’s single Test against India at Lord’s.

After India declared 341-7 and set England a world record 457, the hosts finished on 130-6, needing another 327 for victory.

There were no fairytale endings for Tammy Beaumont and Heather Knight who retired as the former was bowled for a golden duck and Knight fell for 13 to leave England in disarray.

Captain Nat Sciver-Brunt was also narrowly out, bowling a sweep of 11, and England fell to 59-5 before Mady Villiers and Amy Jones held on with a brave stand of 67 for the sixth wicket.

Villiers’ resistance ended with a sensational catch from Richa Ghosh in the middle of the final 10 minutes of the day as India closed in on a crushing victory, even though Jones was unbeaten on 52.

The visitors’ insurmountable lead was established by Yastika Bhatia, who eclipsed her overnight batting partner Smriti Mandhana to become the first women’s Test centurion at Lord’s with a majestic 113.

England’s bowling improved in the morning session when Lauren Bell removed Mandhana for 70 and Jemimah Rodrigues was bowled for three, but any hopes of a miraculous comeback were decimated after lunch when Bell walked off the field with abdominal pain.

Bhatia reveled in Lauren Filer and Issy Wong’s inability to target the stumps to score her first international hundred, before Richa Ghosh’s counter-attacking fifty took advantage of her advantage for Harmanpreet Kaur to declare before tea.

Sophie Ecclestone finished with 5-118 to become the first English woman on the Lord’s Test honors board, but that was a rare cause for celebration on another difficult day of Indian dominance.

More to follow.