​India tightened their grip on the historic one-off women’s Test at Lord’s with a near-flawless second day, leaving England facing a monumental challenge. After dismissing the hosts for 170 to secure a 115-run first-innings lead, the visitors batted with authority to reach 154/1 in their second innings, stretching their overall advantage to 269 runs with nine wickets in hand.
If the opening day belonged to India’s seasoned batters, Day 2 belonged to Kranti Gaud, whose sensational spell defined the proceedings, while Smriti Mandhana once again demonstrated why she remains the backbone of India’s batting lineup. England resumed the morning at 21/1, hoping to erase India’s first-innings total of 285. Instead, they ran into an inspired Indian pace attack. Gaud struck early, removing Maia Bouchier, and Sneh Rana then broke a promising partnership by dismissing Amy Jones, whose brisk 52 off 62 balls stood as the lone bright spot in England’s innings.
After Jones fell, England’s resistance quickly dissolved. Gaud relentlessly attacked the stumps, extracted movement from the Lord’s surface, and exposed the lower order with disciplined seam bowling. She finished with a memorable five-wicket haul, becoming the youngest Indian woman fast bowler to record a Test five-for, surpassing Jhulan Goswami’s previous mark. Her spell also marked the first five-wicket haul by a pace bowler in a women’s Test in England since Ellyse Perry’s 6/32 in 2015, and England’s 170 became their third-lowest first-innings total against India at home.
With a healthy first-innings lead, India did not chase quick runs. Instead, Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma batted with composure, blunting England’s new-ball attack before steadily asserting control. The pair added 88 for the opening wicket, frustrating the hosts for almost an entire session. In doing so, they registered their seventh 50-plus partnership in Women’s Tests, the most by any duo in the history of the format, surpassing the record held by Sandhya Agarwal and Sudha Shah I from India. Shafali looked fluent before falling for 33, attempting to take on Sophie Ecclestone, but her dismissal barely slowed India’s progress.
Mandhana continued her excellent form with another composed innings, ending the day not out on 69. The left-hander blended patience with elegant stroke play, rarely allowing England’s bowlers to build sustained pressure. She found a reliable ally in Yastika Bhatia, who contributed a calm 39 not out. Together, the pair added an unbroken fifty-run stand to push India’s lead well beyond 250 and leave England with little encouragement heading into Day 3.
With a 269-run lead, nine wickets intact and six sessions remaining, India head into Day 3 firmly in command. India Women – 1st Innings 285 all out: Smriti Mandhana 83, Harmanpreet Kaur 58, Deepti Sharma 57; Sophie Ecclestone 3/68. England Women – 1st Innings 170 all out. For better SEO: India Women vs England Women Lord’s Test, Day 2 highlights, Kranti Gaud five-for, Smriti Mandhana masterclass, Shafali Verma steady 33, Yastika Bhatia 39*, India lead 269 runs, Lord’s one-off Test 202X.