Smriti Mandhana (83), Harmanpreet Kaur (58) and Deepti Sharma (57) all made valuable contributions to open proceedings at Lord’s.
Deepti’s composed 57 ensured India posted a competitive total of 285, leaving England 21/1 at stumps on Day 1 after Kranti Gaud struck early to remove Tammy Beaumont.
Reflecting on her knock, Deepti stressed the importance of partnerships that steadied India after the middle-order wobble.
“It feels good that I was able to do this partnership at a crucial time. All credit goes to our 3-4 batters who gave a good start. Jemi, Harry di (Harmanpreet) and Smriti. They built the innings very well.”
That platform, she felt, was especially valuable on a surface that demanded constant adjustments from the batters.
“The wicket is slightly turning and sometimes keeping low. The wicket is not the same.”
“We have to be prepared when the ball can bounce and when it can stay low. Tomorrow (Day 2) will be a very important day for us.”