India in control of one-off Test as four players hit half-centuries on tough opening day for England bowlers

India had not hosted a home Test match since 2014, but adapted quickly to the longer format in home conditions on the first day of their one-off contest against England.

Every batter in the top eight reached at least double figures, with 400 runs scored in a day for just the third time in the women’s game.

Satheesh Shubha (66), Jemimah Rodrigues (68) both hit half-centuries on Test debut, while Yastika Bhatia (66) and Deepti Sharma (60*) also reached individual milestones on a day in which India rattled along at well over four-an-over for most of the day.

India probably should have had a fifth batter with a 50 in the game; captain Harmanpreet Kaur was run-out as she looked to get back into her ground, only for the bat to become wedged in the ground – bringing up memories of her similar dismissal in the World Cup semi-final against Australia earlier in the year.

“The plan is just to bat the same way," Jemimah explained after the day’s play.

“We are going at four-plus runs per over. We just want to give the bowlers an extra cushion and put the pressure back on the England batters.

“This is a very good score to end on. Everyone contributed, no one got a 100 but we had plenty of 100-run stands, which is what a team sport is all about. Very happy to end the day with that.”

England put in the hard yards with the ball but struggled to build on periods of momentum, with wickets falling in pairs towards the start of each session, only to be followed each time by sizeable partnerships.

Nat Sciver-Brunt was the most economical bowler, taking 1-25 in 11 overs, but the three other seamers were expensive, and spinners Sophie Ecclestone and Charlie Dean weren’t able to have the impact England would have hoped for.

Lauren Bell with 2-64 was the only England bowler to take more than one wicket.

Play will resume with India on 410-7 and with England facing a challenging road back into the Test.

The left-handed batter looked ready for the top level on her debut across all formats for India, rattling along to 69 off 76 balls to top score on the day, hitting 13 fours along the way in her classy innings.

Only Smriti Mandhana scored quicker than the debutant across the day, with Shubha showing the short-form class that earned her a spot in the team in the first place.

Speaking after the day’s play, Shubha said: "I’m very happy to be here, I am really out of words. I’m happy to be able to contribute. We have batted together in U19 days (with Jemimah) so it did not feel very different, we just had another good partnership."

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