English hindsight, Indian defiance and Katherine Brunt's catch... ENGLAND V INDIA TALKING POINTS

NICK FRIEND AT BRISTOL looks back at some of the key moments from the final day of the draw between England and India

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Hindsight...

Sophie Ecclestone will sleep well tonight: she bowled 64 overs in England’s thrilling draw with India, and it was difficult not to take from that simple fact that the home side had perhaps erred in their team selection.

Captain Heather Knight explained at the game’s conclusion that she had opted for the extra batting of Georgia Elwiss at No.7 – effectively a free role in a line-up featuring allrounder Nat Sciver and wicketkeeper Amy Jones in the top six – over an additional bowling option in the shape, perhaps, of Mady Villiers or Sarah Glenn, either of whom might have found more joy on a surface that offered the seamers very little throughout.

It was difficult not to wonder how Glenn might have fared – or how England might have approached the task of taking ten wickets in the second innings had they had access to a frontline leg-spinner to operate in tandem with Ecclestone, the world’s leading T20I bowker. Villiers was sat on the sidelines – Glenn, on the other hand, didn’t make the final 15. Off-spin played a pivotal role in the game, with Sneh Rana and Deepti Sharma sharing seven wickets on the first day and Knight chipping in with three of her own.

India head coach Ramesh Powar, a canny finger-spinner in his own playing days, had opted for Rana as something of a leftfield pick, handing her a first international cap in five years over leg-spinner Poonam Yadav and the left-arm spin of Ekta Bisht. The decision paid dividends – doubly so when she dug in after coming to the crease with India just 27 runs ahead midway through the afternoon session to end unbeaten on 80, securing her country a draw that had looked mightily unlikely earlier in the piece.

It was difficult, though, to be too critical of England’s methods – they spent 202.2 overs in the field in total across two innings, having enforced the follow-on after running through India’s middle order on the second evening and the following morning, with an iffy weather forecast hanging over the hosts’ victory chances. As it happened, only a session was lost from the match – on the third evening – but that time ultimately proved pivotal, with England unable to break the 104-run stand between Rana and wicketkeeper Taniya Bhatia.

^{Sneh Rana was the hero for India}

Defiance

So much of the talk through this game was about the young talent on either side that Sneh Rana, India’s 27-year-old debutante, slid somewhat under the radar for the first three days at Bristol. Even after claiming four wickets in England’s first innings, she played third fiddle on India’s list of Test newbies, competing for attention with Shafali Verma and Deepti Sharma, both of whom had sparkled in more thrilling style.

But make no mistake, it was Rana who ensured that Mithali Raj’s side left Bristol all-square in this multiformat series, coming to the crease when India led by 27 runs and England were threatening to have the game done and dusted before the tea interval. But Rana is not in this India team on potential alone; she has done the hard yards on the domestic circuit and bowled with more than enough nous in the first innings to suggest that even if England had been able to force a fourth innings chase, it would have been far from straightforward.

When a draw was settled upon, she was just 20 runs short of a most unlikely Test century. And although a sense of frustration may well linger, she can hold onto the fact that it was her vigil alone that prevent defeat in India’s first Test since 2014.

Katherine Brunt! 👀#ENGvIND pic.twitter.com/U3AmvPwlct

— The Cricketer (@TheCricketerMag) June 19, 2021

10-9-1-1

A shoutout to Nat Sciver, who goes under the radar with the ball but could hardly have given any more to England’s cause in her first game as Knight’s permanent vice-captain. In one spell either side of tea, her figures read – remarkably: 10-9-1-1.

She deserved more than the two wickets that she ultimately picked up, and it was somewhat ironic that for all her excellence, that pair of scalps came from two of the worst deliveries she bowled all Test. Such is the game.

Brunt's catch for the ages

The irrepressible Katherine Brunt, who made it her mission to dismiss Shafali Verma whether she was bowling or not.

It would have been an astounding catch (see above) even if she hadn’t been playing international cricket for 17 years as a fast bowler, who has come back from injuries to remain as fit as ever, aged 35.

Brunt didn’t pick up Verma’s stroke immediately but when she did, the seamer sprinted to her left and dived full length to pluck the ball just above the turf in one hand. She leapt to her feet and threw the ball away, as if she had surprised even herself. For the next five minutes, Sky’s cameras continued to pan back to Brunt, standing on the boundary edge with a smile on her face. A remarkable moment.