New Delhi: The Indian women’s cricket team scripted a landmark moment on Monday, becoming the first side to win a women’s Test at Lord’s with a commanding 270-run victory over England.
For years, women’s cricket fought for its legacy and inclusivity. In a result that will be remembered as one of the defining moments in women’s cricket, India not only conquered the most iconic venue but also underlined how far they have come as a Test side.
The historic triumph was made even more special by two names finding a permanent place in Lord’s folklore. Pacer Kranti Gaud became the first Indian woman to enter the Lord’s bowling honours board with her five-wicket haul, while wicketkeeper-batter Yastika Bhatia earned a place on the batting honours board with a superb century in the second innings. Their performances formed the highlights of a comprehensive win that showcased India’s dominance across four days.
The win also highlighted India’s growing red-ball prowess even as questions loom in white-ball cricket. They have won four out of the five Tests they have played since 2023-2024 and remain unbeaten in all Tests in England.
India wrapped up the contest in just an hour and a half on Day 4 after England resumed on 130/6, still needing a colossal 327 runs to chase down a mammoth target of 457. England managed only 56 more runs before being bowled out for 186, handing India their second-biggest victory by runs in women’s Test cricket and the fourth-highest margin of victory overall in the format.
The chase had effectively unravelled on the third day itself when England slumped to 59/5. Captain Harmanpreet Kaur maintained an attacking approach on the final morning, opening with spin and surrounding the bat with close-in fielders.
Amy Jones, who had offered England brief resistance with a fighting half-century, added just two runs to her overnight 52 before getting dismissed by Sneh Rana.
Gaud, the standout bowler of the match, was unlucky not to add to her five-wicket tally after Sophie Ecclestone was dropped twice.
Ecclestone added a fighting fifty but Rana eventually breached her defence with one that dipped and turned sharply to crash into the stumps, giving her a fourth wicket of the innings. Deepti Sharma then polished off the tail, bowling both Issy Wong and Lauren Bell to seal the victory.
India had laid the foundation for the win with a complete performance. After being sent in to bat by Nat Sciver-Brunt, they posted a formidable first-innings total of 285 built around Smriti Mandhana’s fluent 83 and half-centuries from Harmanpreet Kaur and Deepti Sharma. Gaud then produced a sensational spell of 5 for 37 to hand India a 115-run first-innings lead.
With England already on the back foot, Bhatia’s magnificent 113 in the second innings, supported by yet another half-century from Mandhana and an unbeaten fifty from Richa Ghosh, pushed the target beyond reach as they declared the innings at 341/7.
England’s hopes of giving retiring seniors Heather Knight and Tammy Beaumont a memorable farewell quickly faded, as the visitors completed a famous victory that will forever occupy a special place in cricket history.