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India (PC: BCCI) The Indian batting in the first innings pretty much summed up their UK tour as a whole. Formats have changed, tournaments have changed, but the batting display remained the same. Plenty of potential, promising starts, but in the end, nobody converted them into a substantial score. Day 1 of the historic first-ever women’s Test at Lord’s ended with England at 21/1, trailing by 264 after India, having elected to bat first, were bowled out for 285. It was a milestone match for women’s cricket and a milestone for Smriti Mandhana as well. Playing her 300th international match, Mandhana finally shook off her poor record in landmark matches, scoring 83. She took her time to settle but looked absolutely elegant once she got going, while Sophie Ecclestone appeared completely out of sorts bowling to the veteran Indian opener . India’s innings did not begin well as Shafali Verma fell in the second over, beaten by Lauren Filer’s pace and edging behind to Amy Jones, who complete...

England vs India, First-ever Women’s Test at Lord’s (PC: ECB and BCCI Women) Lord’s, the Home of Cricket, is set to write a new chapter in the history of women’s cricket as it prepares to host its first-ever Women’s Test from July 10-13. Hosts England will take on India, with the stage set for a historic contest. However, England will be looking for their first Women’s Test win over India since 1995. According to the MCC media advisory, more than 33,000 tickets have already been sold. The Test will also mark the celebration of 50 years since Rachael Heyhoe Flint first led England Women onto the main ground in 1976. Several members of that historic team are expected to be present, adding further significance to the occasion. India, however, have enjoyed the upper hand over England in the red-ball format, winning three of the 15 Tests played between the two sides, while England have won only one and the remaining 11 have ended in draws. The record becomes even more concerni...

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (PC: BCCI) England’s pace spearhead Jofra Archer continued to dominate India’s teenage batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, dismissing him again in the fourth T20I in Bristol on Thursday. England, who lead the five-match T20I series 2-0, claimed an early breakthrough through their premier fast bowler. Archer dismissed the 15-year-old for just 15 runs, giving England an early breakthrough while extending his impressive record against him in the ongoing series. Sooryavanshi attempted to take on Archer, but the England pacer bowled a short delivery outside off stump and lured him into the trap. In an attempt to clear the infield, Sooryavanshi could only loft the ball to mid-on, where Sam Curran completed a comfortable catch. Sooryavanshi was dismissed in similar fashion in the third T20I in Nottingham on July 7. Archer forced an edge with another short ball, with the catch safely taken by wicketkeeper Jos Buttler, as the youngster departed for 13. Si...

PC- Indian Cricket team, official instagram handle The Indian men have registered 4 losses in their five last T20Is, including a very disappointing scorecard that read 76 all out against England on Tuesday. Losing to Ireland in a series for the very first time, along with registering India’s biggest T20I defeat by a margin of 125 runs against England, has raised eyebrows among fans and experts alike. Meanwhile, Shreyas Iyer’s captaincy stint started on an unimpressive note. Perhaps one of the biggest points of concern has been the middle and lower order of this T20I team. Over the last five games, the inability of the middle order to step up with the bat and carry the momentum forward has been the recurring theme. If we reflect upon the scorecards of the Ireland series- in the first match, Abhishek Sharma gave the perfect start by smashing 49 runs at a strike rate of 245 but the scorecard wasn’t kept ticking due to lack of support from the other end. Thereafter, the entire batt...

  Image :BCCI India’s performances in England and Ireland have been below par — not just below par, but well below par. For a team that won the World Cup three months ago, to play the way they have is surprising. While winning and losing are part of sport, being bowled out for 76 and failing to turn up is alarming. Understandably, there is outrage, and the omission of Sanju Samson has only added to it. This is precisely why there is an urgent need for balance. Gautam Gambhir is right in saying that a few defeats do not make India a bad team. They certainly do not. But nor can those defeats simply be brushed aside. This is international cricket, and you cannot ignore what is happening and hope things will sort themselves out. Yes, India play a high-risk, high-reward brand of T20 cricket. But can the same approach be used in all conditions? Can a method that works in India, on Indian pitches, be employed in exactly the same way in English conditions, where there is considerably m...

Nat Sciver-Brunt in nets (PC: RevSportz) England are gearing up for the historic first-ever Women’s Test at Lord’s against India from July 10 to 13. The hosts head into the contest after their disappointing ICC Women’s T20 World Cup final defeat to Australia at the same venue on July 5. However, during their training session at the Nursery Ground on July 8, Nat Sciver-Brunt’s side looked ready to put that disappointment behind them and turn their attention to the next challenge. The session was intense, with every player going through their respective routines. While the batters and bowlers were busy fine-tuning their skills, one aspect stood out, England’s extended practice against left-arm orthodox spin. Three nets were in use throughout the session. In one of them, wicketkeeper-batter Amy Jones faced young left-arm orthodox spinner Tilly Corteen-Coleman. In the middle net, Alice Capsey batted against Issy Wong and Lauren Filer before taking on Sophie Ecclestone and two left-arm o...