Kranti Gaud became the first woman to have her name inscribed on the Lord's honours board after taking five for 37, helping India bowl England out for 170 and build a commanding lead of 269 runs on day two of the one-off Test. India closed the day at 154 for one, with Smriti Mandhana unbeaten on 69.
Gaud's historic spell
The 22-year-old seamer, playing only her second Test, displayed masterful red-ball bowling with a teasing line and length combined with wobble seam. She reduced England to 47 for four, claiming the wickets of Maia Bouchier and debutant Alice Capsey. Gaud's performance earned her a place on the iconic Lord's honours board, a first for any woman in Test cricket.
England's struggles
England's first innings was erratic, swinging between aggressive attack and defensive inertia. Amy Jones raced to a half-century in 59 balls but fell just before lunch, caught at short-leg off Richa Ghosh. Lauren Bell and Issy Wong later batted 22 balls without scoring a run. Test debutant Mady Villiers looked most comfortable, playing a patient 10 off 33 balls before being bowled by Sneh Rana.
Record crowd and India's dominance
A world-record crowd of 15,432 for a single day of women's Test cricket witnessed the action. India toyed with England's tired fielders in the evening session, with Shafali Verma smashing Sophie Ecclestone for 13 runs in an over, Mandhana pulling short balls to the boundary, and Yastika Bhatia charging down the track to hit fours. Bhatia remained unbeaten on 39 after a rare missed stumping by Amy Jones.
Missed chances and follow-on avoided
India missed a chance to dismiss Heather Knight on Friday evening when they chose not to review a leg-before appeal against the England captain, who has two Test 150s to her name. However, Sayali Satghare trapped Knight leg-before for 14, with replays showing the ball would have brushed leg stump. England avoided the follow-on but face a tough task batting on a turning pitch on day four.
