England slide to crushing defeat in one-off Test in India

The home side posted 186 for six, setting England a target of 479 to chase down the final two days of play, but it took just one session for India to register a first home win in nine years.

Heather Knight top-scored for the visitors with 21 runs to her name as India swept by 10 wickets in just 27.3 overs.

Openers Tammy Beaumont and Sophia Dunkley started England’s second innings in more emphatic fashion than the first but scored 28 runs before the first wicket fell as Beaumont was cleaned out by Renuka Singh Thakur.

The visitors had already collapsed in their first display with the bat and another display looked increasingly likely when Pooja Vastrakar took two wickets from two balls, Dunkley’s first for 15 before Nat Shaver-Brunt was walked for a golden duck.

Then came England’s highest-scoring partnership of the innings as Knight and Danny White managed 31 runs in the next four overs, but the situation was soon broken when Knight became Vastrakar’s third victim before White fell to Deepti Sharma for the second time in the match.

With five wickets to go, it seemed a matter of time before England’s defeat was sealed and the visitors fell from 83 for four to 83 for six when Amy Jones and Sophie Ecclestone were sent packing.

Sharma caught England’s tail when she cleanly bowled Kate Cross and then Lauren Feller to claim the fourth over of the innings.

England’s defeat was confirmed when Lauren Bell put one into the hands of Jemima Rodriguez at ridiculous point to ensure India’s first home Test win against England in six attempts.