Twitter Reactions: India lose the plot after Shafali Verma, Smriti Mandhana sizzle on day two

Teenager debutant Shafali Verma headlined on the second day of India and England’s one-off affair at Bristol, leading a valiant fightback against a tall England score before India wiped off the advantage, losing five wickets in hardly any time to walk 187/5 at stumps.

At one stage, with the 17-year-old Verma and Smriti Mandhana in the middle, it seemed that nothing could wrong for India. However, the sudden collapse will ensure they have a tense night ahead.

The morning session was not to India’s liking despite an early strike. Having resumed the day on 269/6, it took only two overs for Jhulan Gowasmi to hand her team first success, taking a wise lbw review to send back Katherine Brunt.

Wagging tail frustrates India

Goswami’s early strike raised hopes for India to wrap things up quickly, though, only to be denied by Sophia Dunkley, who played an extremely crucial hand on a surface that did not misbehave too much.

She dug herself in alongside Ecclestone for a 56-run stand with fortunes and DRS both favouring them in the session as India dropped Dunkley and a couple of reviews turned England’s way. The 105-ball alliance was finally broken when Shikha Pandey grabbed a simple chance off Deepti Sharma to send Ecclestone in the hut.

Dunkley, who remained unbeaten on 74, took the backseat during the last-wicket 70-run stand, alongside Anya Shrubsole, who took England closer to the 400-mark having fun en route to her 33-ball 47 that included six fours and a six, before she was cleaned up by Rana as England declared for 396/9.

Shafali, Smriti sizzle 

Guilty of dropping catches and lax attitude in the field, the Indian shoulders broadened once Smriti Mandhana and Verma started operating in the middle. The unfazed duo showed no signs of rush despite the scoreboard moving barely towards the start. Having got her eyes in, Mandhana opened up, confidently punching and pulling the pacers, while Verma joined in soon, displaying her range on either side of the Tea break with some stellar stroke-play.

Even as Verma eschewed her belligerent instincts at times, there was hardly a double thought when she went against a bowler. Her dauntless four off Brunt after Tea being a case in point, which was followed by another boundary. Mandhana did not lag far behind, giving similar treatment to Ecclestone in the next over, although Verma, who became the youngest opener to score a fifty on Test debut, was undoubtedly the more flowy amongst the two.

England had their chances, but this encounter would not be remembered for high fielding standards, as after India’s many misses, the hosts dropped Mandhana twice as the openers added a whopping 167-run stand in a partnership that nearly lasted 50 overs.

India loses the plot after stellar start

It could have been a fairytale for Verma, who bagged the second nervous ninety of the match, falling only four short of a century on debut, but she displayed both that she belongs and why women must be given opportunities to wear whites often.

Having moved from 80 to 96 in quick time, going hard against Kate Cross on the brink of the century made her pay the price as her miscued hit reached only as far as the fielder at mid-off. Her dismissal opened the gates for England, who gave India a taste of their own medicine, reducing them to five down in quick time.

Nat Sciver removed Mandhana for 78, getting her caught by Brunt, while Shikha Pandey lobbed a simple return catch to Knight to depart for a duck. Even before India could have figured out a method to step out of the hole, an excellent review from England ruled Mithali Raj out caught. Soon afterwards, shouldering arms against Knight led to Poonam Raut’s end as she was trapped on the front.

Here is how Twitter reacted: