Future bright for women's Tests as India dominate drawn game

The Indian camp in the dug-out were on their feet even before Shafali Verma used hers to leave the crease. They knew it was coming. They'd seen enough of the teenager to know that she doesn't back down from a challenge, especially one as open as this. After having largely operated with in-out fields for the opener till that point, Meg Lanning had decided to offer her the bait.

With one delivery to go for the tea-break, she'd brought long-on and long-off in for Sophie Molineux. Verma was also now within boundary range of getting to her half-century. Perhaps the Australian captain anticipated a declaration during the break.

Verma to her credit had played arguably her most mature Test knock yet-of the four we've seen so far. Unlike the first innings-or like she seems to do in the nets-the aggressive right-hander hadn't very matter-of-factly gone after the spinners. With the field back, she'd instead preferred to take the easily available single. She'd of course taken on the bouncer challenge from fellow teenager Stella Campbell and picked up a boundary off an overhead pull.

But to no one's real surprise, Verma casually jumped out and smacked the ball over the in-field before raising her arms in delight. And as the teams left the field, Lanning wasn't the only Australian player who seemed to be longingly looking at the Indian dug-out for some signs of a declaration. Only to see captain Mithali Raj and a couple of others still padded up and shadow-practicing their drives.

These two moments on either side of the tea-break on the