Yastika Bhatia, Kranti Gaud inspire India’s historic Lord’s Test victory over England

India’s Kranti Gaud (second right) celebrates with her teammates after taking the wicket of England’s Tammy Beaumont, background right, during the first day of the first Rothesay Women’s Test between India and England at Lord’s Cricket Ground in London. (AP/PTI) India made history on Monday with a commanding 270-run victory over England on Day 4 of the first ever women’s Test at Lord’s, capping off a dominant all-round performance led by Yastika Bhatia’s birthday century and Kranti Gaud’s seven-wicket haul at the iconic venue.On Sunday, India extended their dominance through Bhatia, whose brilliant 113 anchored the visitors’ second innings. The left-hander, who displayed excellent footwork against spinners and elegant stroke play against seamers, became the first woman to score a Test century at Lord’s.She received useful support from Smriti Mandhana, who made a fluent 70, before Richa Ghosh added the finishing touches with an unbeaten half-century that saw India declare at 341 for seven, leaving England with a daunting target of 457.England’s bowlers found some reward through Sophie Ecclestone who claimed five wickets while Lauren Bell impressed with crucial breakthroughs. However, the target always appeared behind the surface hosts offering increasing assistance to the sailors.The Indian pacers wasted little time in getting in the way. Kranti Gaud, who took five wickets in the first innings, struck on the very first ball of England’s chase to remove Tammy Beaumont before Sayali Satghare moved sharply to leave the home reel. Gaud continued to exploit the conditions brilliantly, with Heather Knight among her victims as England’s top order fought the movement.Amy Jones put up a determined fightback after a struggling half-century and found support from Mada Villiers, but India never allowed England to build a lasting partnership. Sharp catching close to the wicket, including an excellent effort by Richa Ghosh, complemented a disciplined bowling effort as the visitors closed the game out gradually.The win capped off a much-deserved triumph for India, who seized control by dismissing England for 170 in the first innings after posting 285 themselves. Sneh Rana, who completed the four-fer, cleaned up Sophie Ecclestone after her gritty half-century as India sealed a historic victory at Lord’s.Short Score:India Women 285 and 341/7 dec. (Smriti Mandhana 83 & 70, Yastika Bhatia 12 & 113, Harmanpreet Kaur 58 & 16, Deepti Sharma 57 & 10, Richa Ghosh 13 & 50*; Sophie Ecclestone 3/68 & 5/118/27 & Lauren Bell)England Women 170 and 186 (Amy Jones 52 & 54, Nat Sciver-Brunt 44 & 11; Kranti Gaud 5/37 & 2/54, Sneh Rana 4/42 & 3/41, Sayali Satghare 2/40 & 2/24, Deepti Sharma 1/10 & 2/36)India Women won by 270 runs.