The historic turf of Lord’s witnessed a masterclass in Test match cricket as India Women firmly seized control against England Women on Day 2 of their standalone red-ball clash. The highly anticipated ENG Women vs IND Women encounter in London promised high stakes, and the visitors have delivered in spades. After posting a competitive 285 in their first innings, India’s bowling unit and top-order batters combined forces to leave ENG-W searching for answers, establishing a commanding 269-run lead by the close of play.
Kranti Goud’s brilliant five-wicket haul hands India the upper hand against England
Resuming Day 2 with England delicately placed at 21/1, the home side faced a relentless bowling onslaught led by seamer Kranti Goud. Displaying impeccable control and lethal swing under the overcast London skies, Goud dismantled the English batting spine with a sensational spell, registering magnificent figures of 5 for 37 across 17 overs.
Goud set the tone early by trapping the dangerous Tammy Beaumont leg-before for just 7. She then broke through a burgeoning partnership by dismissing opener Maia Bouchier (23), before clean-bowling the explosive Alice Capsey for 9. While England’s vice-captain Amy Jones offered stiff resistance with a well-made 52 off 62 balls, and captain Nat Sciver-Brunt dug deep for a gritty 44, Goud returned to deliver the definitive blows.
She won a crucial leg-before review against Sciver-Brunt just as the skipper looked set to anchor the lower order. Goud wrapped up her memorable five-wicket haul by having Lauren Bell caught by Shafali Verma, rolling England over for a meagre 170 in 59.1 overs. Supported by Sayali Satghare’s crucial two wickets, Goud’s heroism ensured India secured a massive 115-run first-innings cushion.
Smriti Mandhana and Yastika Bhatia end Day 2 with a dominant partnership
With a healthy first-innings lead in their pocket, the Indian batters walked out for their second essay determined to bat England out of the Test match. Openers Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma provided a rock-solid foundation, frustrating the English attack with an 88-run opening stand. Verma looked confident during her 55-ball 33 before falling to the top-ranked spinner Sophie Ecclestone. However, her departure only paved the way for more Indian dominance.
Wicketkeeper-batter Yastika Bhatia joined her vice-captain out in the middle, and the duo systematically took the game away from the hosts. Mandhana looked in sublime touch, striking 9 crisp boundaries to reach an unbeaten 69 off 124 deliveries. At the other end, Bhatia anchored beautifully, executing 4 fours in her composed, undefeated 39 off 73 balls.
By the time the bails were drawn for Stumps on Day 2, India’s scoreboard read an imposing 154/1 after 42 overs. Scoring at a healthy run rate of 3.66, the unbroken 66-run partnership between Mandhana and Bhatia has pushed India’s overall lead to a massive 269 runs. With nine wickets still in hand and two full days left to play, India hold all the aces at the Home of Cricket.
Stumps on Day 2!
A fruitful day for #TeamIndia as they lead England by 2⃣6⃣9⃣ runs 📈
Vice-captain Smriti Mandhana and Yastika Bhatia will resume proceedings tomorrow 🤝
Scorecard ▶️ https://t.co/O1rEau8j8n #ENGvIND pic.twitter.com/Txfy9PqObG
— BCCI Women (@BCCIWomen) July 11, 2026
Also WATCH: Lauren Bell produces an absolute jaffa to dismiss Yastika Bhatia on Day 1 of the Lord’s Test
This article was first published at WomenCricket.com, a Cricket Times company.
