England skittled for 136 on day two of one-off Test in Mumbai as India's Deepti Sharma takes 5-7 in 5.3 overs; Nat Sciver-Brunt (59) only England batter to pass 12; Charlie Dean bags four second-innings wickets but India extend lead to 478 by stumps
Saturday 16 December 2023 07:07, UK
England slumped against spin as India continued their dominance of the one-off Test on day two in Mumbai.
England, replying to their hosts' 428 all out, were rolled for 136, losing their last seven wickets for 28 runs and final six for 10 as off-spinner Deepti Sharma claimed remarkable figures of 5-7 in 5.3 overs.
Nat Sciver-Brunt (59) was the only England player to pass 12 in an innings which lasted less than 36 overs as India carved out a lead of 292, an advantage they stretched to a mammoth 478 by stumps.
India closed on 186-6 after opting against enforcing the follow-on with Shafali Verma (33) dropped on nought by Heather Knight at slip and on 21 by Sophia Dunkley at midwicket as she shared an opening stand of 61 with Smriti Mandhana (26).
England off-spinner Charlie Dean claimed 4-68 including two in two balls as she trapped Sharma (1) lbw and then bowled Sneh Rana (0) for a golden duck while left-arm spinner Sophie Ecclestone pocketed two wickets but the tourists face an almighty task to avoid defeat.
Sciver-Brunt was seventh out for England, bowled playing back to a vicious turning delivery from off-spinner Rana, who also inflicted a duck on Dean after pinning her lbw offering no shot.
However, Sharma was England's chief tormentor, triggering a stunning collapse when she had Danni Wyatt (19) caught at short leg off an inside edge onto the pad with the score on 108-3.
Sharma then removed Amy Jones (12) in peculiar circumstances, with the England batter's pull deflecting off Mandhana's helmet at short leg before the ball looped up to Verma at leg slip.
Ecclestone (0) was bowled two balls later and after Rana removed Sciver-Brunt and Dean, Sharma mopped up the wickets of Kate Cross (1) and Lauren Filer (5) - catching Cross off her own bowling and then spinning a delivery onto Filer's off stump.
India have been in charge of this game since plundering over 410-7 on day one, although they added only 18 runs to their overnight total as Ecclestone (3-91) struck twice and seamer Bell (3-67) once.
England lost two top-order wickets inside eight overs, though, with Dunkley (11) bowled by Renuka Singh and captain Knight (11) pinned lbw by Pooja Vastrakar.
Sciver-Brunt bossed a 51-run partnership with Tammy Beaumont (10), adding 43 of the runs in their third-wicket stand before Beaumont was run out via a direct hit from Vastrakar at midwicket.
Sciver-Brunt and Wyatt then put on 29 before carnage ensued and although England spinners Dean and Ecclestone impressed late in the day, India are firmly on top, with skipper Harmanpreet Kaur (44no) adding an unbroken 53 with Vastrakar (17no).
