BBC SPORT | Cricket | Specials | England Women in India

BBC Sport Online talks to Caroline Atkins and Arran Thompson after their record-breaking partnership against India.

On a day when Sri Lankan Muttiah Muralitharan claimed his 400th Test wicket, two young English women just starting out on their international careers were making history of their own.

And the performance of Caroline Atkins and Arran Thompson in the one-off Test at Lucknow was all the more remarkable, coming as it did after their team had been comprehensively beaten in three one-day internationals.

Their stand of 200 was a new first wicket record in women's Test cricket, an achievement made doubly sweet for Atkins, who celebrated her 21st birthday on the eve of the match.

Atkins batting against Australia
Atkins prefers Tests to the one-day game
The careers of both girls have been enhanced by their involvement at two of England's University Centres of Cricket Excellence - Atkins at Durham and Thompson at Loughborough.

But neither had previously batted for anything like the seven and a half hours their partnership lasted - although they did not find the experience too draining.

"We kept each other going and with a break every hour for drinks and a longer break every two hours, it wasn't as tiring as if you bat for 50 overs in a one-day game," Atkins told BBC Sport Online.

Their stand finally came to an end when a misunderstanding led to Atkins being run out for 90.

"We'd had a couple of quiet overs and we decided we were going to look for singles.

"I think it was just a lack of concentration - I struck the ball and called for a run, Caroline didn't react straight away and that bit of hesitation meant she got run out," said Thompson.

There were no hard feelings from her partner, despite missing out on what would have been a first international century.

"I walked off fairly chuffed - we'd got 200 for the first wicket, a good start for England and I was quite proud of myself for lifting our team's spirits.

"It is disappointing not to get a century, but I'm hoping I'll have more opportunities to get one in the future. It was a good knock, it's fantastic to break a record but more important was the good start for the team," added Atkins.

Both began their cricket careers playing with boys - Atkins as a nine-year-old for Burgess Hill in Sussex, and Thompson at under-12 level in her native Lancashire - before progressing to women's club and county cricket.

Thompson was the first to reach the England team, playing against South Africa in 2000, with Atkins making her debut against Australia last summer.

Extra responsibility was thrust on them with regular opener Charlotte Edwards missing the tour to continue her rehabilitation following knee surgery and Claire Taylor ruled out of the Test after suffering an injury in training.

Former England batsman Graeme Fowler works with Atkins at Durham
So how did they approach their task after skipper Clare Connor won the toss?

"We were desperately hoping to bat first because we'd heard that the wicket would be good for the first two days and possibly start cracking and keep low after that.

"I woke up the morning quite excited, got to the ground and there was a really good atmosphere. It's a nice stadium and I was really up for it," said Atkins.

Her birthday was a memorable one for the wrong reasons, with the team held up at Delhi airport after missing their flight to Lucknow.

"Nothing fazes us off the pitch. We could have been quite disgruntled by the fact that we missed a flight and had eight hours to hang around an airport, but it gave us a chance to rest.

"We were all together, playing cards, chatting, and it was a really nice day actually.

"The team bought me a rug. We'd been sightseeing in Delhi and then went to a rug and sari shop in Delhi and they managed to buy one without me noticing, which was a nice surprise."

But birthdays are of secondary importance to Atkins.

"Nothing is more important to me than playing cricket for my country. It's fantastic to spend my birthday in India with the England squad."

Thompson takes an equally serious view of her cricket.

"I moved down to Loughborough last year. They have a full programme with weights, aerobic training and cricket training as well. My preparation has been top notch really."

With that kind of dedication among their players, perhaps good times may not be too long in coming for England.