ENG-W vs IND-W: Yastika Bhatia's historic Lord's century puts India on brink of victory
Yastika Bhatia, Deepti Sharma (Source: X/@BCCIWomen)
Published - 12 Jul 2026, 10:23 PM• Read time - 3 mins
Indian women had another dominating day in the one-off Test match against England, as the hosts finished Day 3 on 130/6 at Lord’s, needing another 327 runs to win. Kranti Gaud (2/40) continued from where she left off after a historic five-wicket haul in the first innings, adding two more scalps to her tally in the second innings.
Sneh Rana (2/31) and Sayali Satghare (2/19) also chipped in with two wickets each. Earlier, Yastika Bhatia (113) etched her name in the history books, becoming the first women’s batter to score a Test century at Lord’s. Richa Ghosh (50* off 52) also scored a valuable half-century as India declared their second innings on 341/7 with a 456-run lead.
Earlier, India resumed on 154/1 with Yastika Bhatia (39*) and Smriti Mandhana (69*) at the crease. England struck early in the day, as Mandhana could only add just one run to her overnight score, getting caught down the leg side by wicketkeeper Amy Jones, who put in a spectacular dive to complete a one-handed stunner.
However, Bhatia continued to hold one end and brought up her second half-century in Tests. Jemimah Rodrigues (3 off 12) departed cheaply, losing her stumps against Lauren Bell as India lost their third wicket on 177.
Bhatia becomes 1st woman Test centurion at Lord's
Bhatia continued to keep the scoreboard moving, stitching crucial stands with Harmanpreet Kaur (16 off 34) and Deepti Sharma (10 off 33), taking India’s lead past 400. She eventually brought up her century in the second session, getting her name on the prestigious Lord’s honours board.
Bhatia’s innings finally came to an end on 113, as she tried to go over the top against Sophie Ecclestone (5/118), only to find Mady Villiers at point. She walked off to a standing ovation, having put India in the driver’s seat. In the end, Richa Ghosh took India’s lead past 450 as captain Harmanpreet Kaur called them back into the dressing room, declaring the innings.
Chasing a massive 457-run target, England had a poor start to their innings as Tammy Beaumont had a nightmarish end to her career, being castled by Kranti Gaud on her very first ball for a golden duck.
England lose wickets in clusters
In the following over, Sayali Satghare got Maia Bouchier (2 off 8) lbw, leaving England at 6/2. Things only got worse for the hosts with Sneh Rana dismantling Nat Sciver-Brunt’s (11 off 25) stumps, leaving England on 23/3.
Heather Knight, also playing the last innings of her career, managed to bide her time at the crease, scoring 13 (34), before getting caught at short leg by Richa Ghosh, also falling prey to Gaud. The wickets continued to tumble as Satghare also destroyed Alice Capsey’s (21 off 35) stumps, leaving England staring down the barrel on 59/5.
Amid the chaos, Amy Jones (52*) and Mady Villiers (26 off 63) brought a sense of calm in their dressing room with their 67-run stand for the sixth wicket. But the misery continued to follow the hosts with Villiers getting dismissed just before stumps, courtesy of a brilliant catch by Richa Ghosh at silly point.