ENGLAND face the possibility of losing their one-off women’s Test against India inside three days after enduring a desperate second day in Mumbai today.

The tourists summoned just 136 all out in response to India’s first innings total of 428, and after deciding not to impose the follow-on, the hosts reached stumps with a commanding lead of 478.

Nineteen wickets fell in total, starting with the Indian tail-end as they managed to add just 18 to their imposing overnight total.

But England’s response began badly with both Sophia Dunkley and Heather Knight dismissed inside the first eight overs, with only Nat Sciver-Brunt showing any kind of resistance with a stand of 59.

Having limped to 79 for two, England collapsed, losing six wickets for 10 runs as Deepti Sharma led the Indian bowlers with figures of five for seven.

India opted to return to the field with Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma sharing 61 for the first wicket, but four wickets for Charlie Dean gave England a glimmer of hope as the hosts closed on 186 for six.

“There’s a few tired bodies and tired minds as well,” Nat Sciver-Brunt said. “Test cricket is quite difficult in that you might be out in the field and then things can change quickly. It was a day of up and down.

“It felt like a fairly long afternoon,” Sciver-Brunt added. “The pitch deteriorated a little bit, and there was some not so brilliant footwork.

“The bowlers are making us create indecision in the way that we go about things. When wickets fall, India can create a lot of noise and a lot of chaos around that, so it’s about trying to ride that wave and that pressure as a batter.”