India Women finished Day 3 at Bristol on 83/1. They need another 82 to make England Women bat again with a full day’s cricket to go. Things look ominous, but there is good news on at least two counts: first, Shafali Verma is still there; and secondly, more rain is predicted on the last day.
Only 45.5 overs of cricket was possible on Day 3. India began the day on 187/5, and Sophie Ecclestone (4-88) pushed them on the back foot with an early triple blow. She beat both Harmanpreet Kaur (4) and Taniya Bhatia (0) in the air, convincing them that she had not pitched them up as full as she actually did, and trapped them leg-before. Then she got one to turn one across Sneh Rana (2) to have her edge and have her caught behind.
India were reeling at 197/8 at this stage (after the first pair had added 167). Some resistance came from Deepti Sharma (29*) and Pooja Vastrakar (12), who added 33 for the ninth wicket. Then Heather Knight claimed the second new ball, and her pacers responded immediately.
Katherine Brunt (1-42) got Vastrakar with a peach that pitched on leg and did just enough to beat the bat and hit off. Anya Shrubsole (1-18) responded at the other end by cleaning up Jhulan Goswami (1) with an enormous in-swinger. Knight enforced the follow on.
India lost Smriti Mandhana (8) at the stroke of lunch. Brunt bowled one with a cross seam outside off; Mandhana chased, and was caught at second slip. By then, the unfazed Verma had raced to 20 in 14 balls with five fours.
Mithali Raj promoted Sharma, the in-form batter, at three. Verma (55*) and Sharma (18*) stayed put amidst bursts of rain. In the process, Verma became the first Indian woman (and youngest woman for any country) to score two fifties on Test debut. She has hit 11 fours so far, the most astonishing of them being a straight chip off Kate Cross, along with 13 fours and 2 sixes in the first innings.
Brief scores
England Women 396/9 decl. (Heather Knight 95; Sneh Rana 4-131) lead India Women 231 (Shafali Verma 96; Sophie Ecclestone 4-88) and 83/1 (Shafali Verma 55*; Katherine Brunt 1-21) by 82 runs.