London, Jul 11 (PTI) Kranti Gaud produced an excellent spell of swing bowling as India reduced England to 137 for five at lunch on the second of the one-off women’s Test here on Saturday.
Skipper Nat Sciver-Brunt (39 batting) and Amy Jones (52) resolutely defended Indian bowlers with a 84-run stand for the fifth wicket, but it was not hard to fathom the winner of the first session.
England, overnight 21 for one, still trail by 148 runs and Mady Villiers is giving company to Brunt.
India’s domination can be linked to Gaud’s (3/25 in 10 overs) burst in the opening overs, which yielded two wickets.
The pacer struck in the second over of the day, removing Maia Bouchier (23), whose half-hearted poke at an away going delivery ended in the hands of stumper Yastika Bhatia.
But Alice Capsey’s dismissal was the signature moment of the morning session. Goud managed to move the ball just enough to beat Capsey’s defence to rattle the England batter’s off-stump.
Fellow pacer Sayali Satghare trapped experienced Heather Knight leg before with a slightly slanting-in delivery to reduce England to 47 for four.
The home side needed a good partnership at that stage to break out of the jail. Brunt and Jones gave them just that with an 84-run association.
Jones, who brought her second fifty in Women Tests in 59 balls, was fluent while driving and pulling Gaud and Satghare.
Brunt, on the other hand, was more keen to be the support cast but revealed her aggressive side on a couple of occasions.
The right-hander pulled Gaud for a boundary and later slog-swept spinner Sneh Rana for a six as England whittled down India’s lead fast.
But the burgeoning stand ended when Jones rather casually tried to turn Rana off her hips, but the ball ballooned to Richa Ghosh at short leg after making contact with the bat’s shoulder. PTI UNG KHS
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