Five-wicket Gaud puts India on top in inaugural women's Test at Lord's / Photo: © AFP
Five-wicket Gaud puts India on top in inaugural women's Test at Lord's
Kranti Gaud became the first woman to claim a place on the Lord's honours boards for her performance in a Test match with a five-wicket haul that put India in command against England on Saturday.
The seamer led the way with a miserly 5-37 in just 17 overs as England were dismissed for 170 after lunch on the second day of four in the inaugural women's Test at Lord's.
That gave India a first-innings lead of 115 runs after they had made 285.
Gaud, 22, will join the likes of Indian men Bhaghwat Chandrasekhar, Bishan Bedi and Kapil Dev on the honours board in the away dressing room at Lord's. It lists all bowlers who have taken five or more wickets in a Test innings at the ground.
India's total was built on left-handed opener Smriti Mandhana's elegant 83 and fifties from captain Harmanpreet Kaur and all-rounder Deepti Sharma.
No side making more than 282 in the first innings of a women's Test has yet lost the match.
England veteran Tammy Beaumont, in her last match before international retirement, was lbw to Gaud's inswinger for just two late on Friday.
The hosts resumed on 21-1 and lost two wickets for no runs in four balls as they collapsed to 32-3.
England's only significant resistance on another sun-drenched day at Lord's came frm a fifth-wicket partnershipof 84 between captain Nat Sciver-Brunt (44) and Amy Jones (52).
India's seamers settled into an accurate line and length far more quickly than their England counterparts.
Maia Bouchier, 17 not out overnight, pushed loosely outside off stump to Gaud and was caught behind for 23.
And 32-2 became 32-3 when former England captain Heather Knight was lbw to Sayali Satghare for six.
The collapse continued when Gaud produced a superb delivery that slanted in and then swung away to bowl Alice Capsey for nine.
England were in dire straits at 47-4.
Sciver-Brunt, fresh from her 58 not out in England's T20 World Cup final defeat by Australia at Lord's last week, found an ally in Jones.
The wicket-keeper put a run of low scores in the T20 World Cup behind her with a well-made fifty in just 59 balls, including six fours.
Jones fell y before lunch when she gave a simple bat-pad catch to short leg off the bowling of off-spinner Sneh Rana.
Sciver-Brunt had only added five runs to her interval score of 39 when Gaud had her plumb lbw.
Gaud completed her five-wicket haul in dramatic fashion when Lauren Bell's edged drive flew to the slip cordon, where it was parried in front of her throat by Rana before a diving Shafali Verma reacted quickly to grab the rebound.
After 142 years of men's Test cricket at Lord's, this fixture represents another landmark in the evolution of the women's game.
This Test is taking place 50 years after the first major women's match at the ground, a one-day international between England and Australia.
U.Hill--VC
