India Women produced a commanding all-round performance to defeat England by 270 runs in the first-ever women’s Test match at Lord’s Cricket Ground in London. The Harmanpreet Kaur-led side set a daunting target of 457 and bowled out England for 186 on the final day to complete a historic victory at the Home of Cricket. Yastika Bhatia became the first woman to score a Test century at Lord’s, while debutant pacer Kranti Gaud claimed a five-wicket haul to earn the Player of the Match award.
Lord’s Hosts Its First Women’s Test
Lord’s Cricket Ground, the home of the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) in London, had staged men’s Test cricket since 1884 but had never hosted a women’s Test match before July 2026. This historic fixture came 142 years after the venue’s first men’s Test and 50 years after the first women’s ODI at the ground in 1976, when England captain Rachael Heyhoe Flint led her team through the Lord’s gates after years of campaigning. Women were not permitted to become MCC members until 1999, making this Test match a significant milestone in the long journey of women’s cricket at the iconic venue. The match drew a record aggregate attendance of 37,846 across four days, the highest for any women’s Test.
How India Built the Victory
India took control from the very first day. After winning the toss and electing to bat, the visitors posted 285 in their first innings. Vice-captain Smriti Mandhana top-scored with 83, while captain Harmanpreet Kaur chipped in with 58 and Deepti Sharma made 57. In response, England were bowled out for just 170 inside two sessions, with debutant Kranti Gaud returning figures of 5 for 37 to wreak havoc through the batting lineup.
India built on this lead in the second innings, declaring at 341 for 7 and setting England an imposing target of 457. Mandhana contributed a fluent 70 in the second dig, becoming only the second Indian woman after Sandhya Agarwal to score 70 or more in both innings of a Test. Wicketkeeper-batter Richa Ghosh smashed an unbeaten 50 to accelerate the scoring before the declaration.
Yastika Bhatia’s Historic Century
Yastika Bhatia, a 25-year-old left-handed batter from Vadodara, played the innings of her life at the perfect moment. Resuming on day three on 39 not out, she brought up her maiden Test century off 145 balls with 12 fours. She eventually fell for 113 off 158 balls, having struck 14 boundaries in a masterclass of patience and strokeplay.
The knock carried deep personal significance. Bhatia had undergone surgery for a torn ACL in her left knee in October 2025, an injury that ruled her out of India’s victorious 2025 ODI World Cup campaign on home soil. Her return to international cricket earlier in 2026 had seen her score a half-century in the opening T20I of the England tour, but this century marked her complete comeback. After reaching the milestone, she knelt down and kissed the Lord’s turf, overcome with emotion.
With this feat, Bhatia became the first woman across all nations to score a Test hundred at Lord’s. She also became only the second Indian left-handed batter, after Sourav Ganguly’s iconic 131 on debut in 1996, to score a Test century at the venue. Her 113 is the highest individual score by an Indian batter in the second innings of a women’s Test, overtaking Sandhya Agarwal’s 98 against New Zealand in 1985.
Kranti Gaud’s Stunning Debut
The other star of the match was Kranti Gaud, a 22-year-old seamer from Ghuwara, a small town in Madhya Pradesh. Playing in her first Test match, Gaud announced herself on the grandest stage by becoming the first woman ever to have her name added to the Lord’s Honours Board for bowling, after taking 5 for 37 in England’s first innings. She followed it up with 2 for 54 in the second innings to finish with match figures of 7 for 91.
Her first-innings spell included the prized wicket of England captain Nat Sciver-Brunt, and on the final day she removed Tammy Beaumont for a golden duck in the very first ball of England’s chase. Beaumont was playing her farewell Test, and Gaud paused her celebrations to join her teammates in forming a guard of honour as the veteran walked off. She also dismissed England captain Heather Knight, who was also playing her final Test, caught at short leg.
Gaud’s journey to Lord’s is as inspiring as her performance. Her mother once pawned her jewellery to buy one of her first cricket kits. From the bylanes of Madhya Pradesh to the Honours Board at Lord’s, Gaud’s story embodies the rise of women’s cricket in India’s smaller towns.
Records That Fell at Lord’s
| Milestone | Detail |
|---|---|
| First women’s Test at Lord’s | The venue’s maiden women’s Test after 142 years of men’s Tests |
| First woman to score Test century at Lord’s | Yastika Bhatia (113) |
| First woman on Lord’s Honours Board (bowling) | Kranti Gaud (5/37 in 1st innings) |
| First England woman on Lord’s Honours Board (bowling) | Sophie Ecclestone (5/118 in 2nd innings) |
| Largest win by a visiting team in England in women’s Tests | India’s 270-run victory |
| Fourth largest win in women’s Test history | By margin of runs |
| Highest Test attendance for women’s match | 37,846 aggregate across 4 days |
The victory was India’s third Test win on English soil, following triumphs at Taunton in 2006 and Wormsley in 2014. It extended India’s unbeaten Test record in England to 10 matches (three wins, seven draws) dating back to their first tour in 1986.
Sneh Rana played a crucial supporting role with the ball, taking 4 for 42 in the second innings, including the wicket of Amy Jones on the final morning. She fittingly sealed the victory by bowling Sophie Ecclestone, finishing with match figures of 6 for 83. Pacer Sayali Satghare picked up 4 for 64 in the match, supporting Gaud with disciplined seam bowling.
The match also coincided with the 24th anniversary of India’s famous NatWest Series final win over England at the same venue in 2002, when Mohammad Kaif and Yuvraj Singh had engineered a stunning chase. India batting legend Sachin Tendulkar, who was part of that 2002 triumph, visited the dressing room on the final morning to address the team. ICC chairman Jay Shah was also in attendance.
A Captain’s Legacy
With this win, Harmanpreet Kaur created history of her own. She became only the fourth Indian captain across men’s and women’s cricket to lead the country to a Test victory at Lord’s, joining Kapil Dev (1986), MS Dhoni (2014), and Virat Kohli (2021). She is the first woman to achieve this feat.
The Lord’s triumph was Harmanpreet’s fourth Test victory as captain, the most by any Indian woman in the format, surpassing Mithali Raj’s record of three wins. Her only defeat as Test captain came against Australia in Perth earlier in 2026. She has led India to Test wins against England (twice), Australia, and South Africa.
Harmanpreet, who took over the Test captaincy after Mithali Raj’s retirement, has been at the helm of Indian women’s cricket across formats since 2016. Under her leadership, India won the 2025 ODI World Cup, the Asian Games gold medal in 2023, and a Commonwealth Games silver medal in 2022. She also holds the record for the most wins as a captain in women’s T20Is, surpassing Australia’s Meg Lanning.
Key Takeaways
- The first women’s Test at Lord’s Cricket Ground was played in July 2026, 142 years after the venue hosted its first men’s Test in 1884.
- India Women defeated England Women by 270 runs, the largest win by a visiting team in England in women’s Tests.
- Yastika Bhatia became the first woman to score a Test century at Lord’s, making 113 off 158 balls with 14 boundaries.
- Kranti Gaud became the first woman on the Lord’s Honours Board for bowling, taking 5 for 37 in England’s first innings on her Test debut.
- Harmanpreet Kaur became only the fourth Indian Test captain (after Kapil Dev, MS Dhoni, and Virat Kohli) to win a Test at Lord’s.
- The match attracted a record women’s Test attendance of 37,846 spectators across four days.
