Indian wicketkeeper-batter Yastika Bhatia etched her name into cricket folklore by scoring a historic maiden Test century against England at Lord's Cricket Ground. Resuming Day 3 on 39*. The left-hander showed incredible grit after an early morning collapse saw partners Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues, and captain Harmanpreet Kaur fall in rapid succession. Bhatia rode her luck when an early delivery from Lauren Bell clipped her off-stump without dislodging the bails.
She counter-attacked brilliantly, effectively using her feet against spin maestro Sophie Ecclestone and punishing short balls from Lauren Filer. Reaching 99 at lunch, she calmly tucked a full delivery from Issy Wong to the covers for a single right after the break, securing her century in 145 balls. Bhatia was eventually dismissed by Ecclestone for a masterclass 113 off 158 balls, an innings punctuated by 14 crisp boundaries. This monumental feat marks the first-ever century by a female cricketer at the 142-year-old historic venue.
Additionally, her 113 runs smashed a 41-year-old record, surpassing Sandhya Agarwal's 98 from 1985 to become the highest-ever individual Test score by an Indian woman in a third or fourth innings. Following a grueling recovery from a major ACL knee injury, this emotional return physically secured her spot on the prestigious Lord's Honours Board alongside teammate Kranti Gaud. Bhatia's heroic knock propelled India to a dominant second-innings declaration, setting England a massive 457-run target.
India tighten grip on Lord's test with dominant batting display
In the historic one-off Test at Lord's, India established absolute control through two dominant batting performances. Winning the toss, England invited India to bat first on a challenging pitch. India's first innings anchored on a superb 285 all out from 74.5 overs.
Opener Smriti Mandhana led the charge with a fluent 83, masterfully assisted by half-centuries from captain Harmanpreet Kaur (58) and Deepti Sharma (57). This solid foundation allowed debutant Kranti Gaud to rip through England's batting lineup with a stunning 5-wicket haul, bundling the hosts out for just 170 and handing India a massive 115-run lead.
Capitalising on their advantage, India delivered a punishing blow in the second innings by racking up 341/7 declared in 91.3 overs. Smriti Mandhana set the tone again with an elegant 70, but the innings ultimately belonged to No.3 batter Yastika Bhatia. Bhatia played a historic, chanceless knock of 113 off 158 balls, hitting 14 boundaries to become the first woman ever to score a Test century at the venue.
Despite England spinner Sophie Ecclestone collecting a fighting 5-wicket haul (5/118), an aggressive, unbeaten 50 from wicketkeeper Richa Ghosh accelerated India's push toward declaration. Combined, India's relentless batting effort accumulated a grand match total of 626 runs, giving them an overwhelming 456-run overall lead and setting up a monumental 457-run target for victory.
