Surprisingly, despite the success of the Taunton in 2006, India Women did not play a single Test match in the next eight years. The advent of Twenty20 cricket took a toll on the longest format in women’s cricket. Like most other teams, India Women, too, focused primarily on limited-overs cricket during this period.
Finally, in 2014, they had a scheduled Test match on a tour that also included three ODIs. The Test was played in Wormsley. Mithali Raj was still captain of India. Along with her was Jhulan Goswami, architect of the Taunton win. However, apart from them and wicketkeeper Karu Jain, all eight Indians made their Test debuts.
Like Raj, Charlotte Edwards was still leading the side. Sarah Taylor, Heather Knight, Natalie Sciver and Anya Shrubsole were there as part of the experienced lot. They also had a couple of debutants in Lauren Winfield-Hill and Sonia Odedra.
India started their tour with a drawn two-day practice match against England Academy Women at Loughborough. The four-day Test match started on 13 August.
Eight debutants for India Women
Raj won an important toss and decided to bowl in helpful conditions. Niranjana Nagarajan provided an early breakthrough by dismissing Knight for 1. She kept bowling to an excellent line and picked up the next two wickets, including Edwards for just 4.
By the twentieth over, England were 49/5. In a 10-over spell, Nagarajan had picked up four of these wickets for just 11. Sarah Taylor and Sciver tried to recover the innings and added 29 runs for the sixth wicket. Taylor played her shots against Ekta Bisht in her 30.
The experienced Goswami then returned to dismiss Taylor. Shubhalakshmi Sharma took out Sciver and Shrubsole with consecutive deliveries. Bisht’s only wicket of the match was the seventh LBW of the inning, a record in the women’s Test. The final wicket was a run out.
England were bowled out for just 92 runs in less than 42 overs against the inexperienced Indian bowling attack. The four debutants shared eight wickets: Nagarajan stood out with 4-19.
Visitors fight back
Thirushkamini and Mandhana responded with a 40-run opening stand. India seemed to be in a strong position, but a host of wickets provided the match an interesting turn. The English bowlers, led by Jenny Gunn, picked up six for 24: India were reduced to 64/6. Gunn dismissed both openers in her astonishing spell of 4-7.
However, just when England started to think about a lead, India’s new-ball pair, Goswami and Nagarajan, provided resistance. They took India to 87/6 by the end of the day’s play.
The partnership was finally broken on 95 the next morning, when Goswami fell to Gunn for 17. Nagarajan, the next to go, top-scored with 27. India finished on 114, with a lead of 22. Gunn finished with 5-19 and Kate Cross with 3-29.
Top-order collapse for hosts
England had an early blow when Goswami dismissed Knight for a zero with the second ball. However, the English top order did better than the first innings. Debutant Winefield-Hill (35) and Edwards (20) took them to 73/2 before they fell to Shikha Pandey and Bisht. Then they were reduced to 84/6.
The onus fell on Taylor (40) and Gunn (62 not out) to build a partnership. Gunn added 39 with Taylor and another 58 with Shrubsole (14) to help England reach a respectable 202. Goswami finished with 4-48. India needed 181 to win.
Mandhana, Raj guide India home
Thirushkamini and Mandhana added 76 this time. Thirushkamini was dismissed for 28, but Mandhana brought up her maiden Test fifty. Cross then got both openers. India also lost both Punam Raut and Harmanpreet Kaur. They ended the day on 119/4, requiring 62 runs.
But the hosts could not break through. Raj and debutant Pandey did not get quick runs, but they batted for more than 30 overs to take India to the target. Raj remained unbeaten on 50 and Pandey on 28 as India registered another Test victory on foreign soil.
This was the fourth Test match won by India Women. Gunn was named Player of the Match for her all-round show.
Brief scores
England Women 99 (Sarah Taylor 30; Niranjana Nagarajan 4-19) and 202 (Jenny Gunn 62*; Jhulan Goswami 4-48) lost to India Women 114 (Niranjana Nagarajan 27; Jenny Gunn 5-19) and 183/4 (Smriti Mandhana 51; Kate Cross 3-42) by 6 wickets. Player of the Match: Jenny Gunn.