After a disappointing group-stage exit at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, the Indian women’s team has quickly shifted its focus to the longest format, beginning preparations for the historic one-off Test against England at the iconic Lord’s Cricket Ground, which gets underway on July 10. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) shared pictures from the team’s training sessions on social media, showing the players putting in hours in the nets ahead of the landmark fixture.
The match will be a landmark occasion. For the first time in its history, the Home of Cricket will host a women’s Test match. The fixture also coincides with the 50th anniversary of former England captain Rachael Heyhoe Flint leading an England Women’s side onto the Main Ground for the first time in 1976. The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) has announced that more than 30,000 tickets have already been sold across the four days of the match, reflecting the growing interest in women’s cricket and setting the stage for a memorable occasion at one of the sport’s most iconic venues.
India head into the Lord’s Test with recent experience in the longest format, having played a day-night one-off Test against Australia at the WACA Ground in Perth earlier this year. Australia won the match by 10 wickets after dismissing India for 198 in the first innings and 149 in the second. Jemimah Rodrigues (52) and Pratika Rawal (63) were India’s leading scorers across the two innings, while Sayali Satghare impressed with the ball, claiming 4/50 in Australia’s first innings. Australia posted 323 in reply to India’s first-innings total before chasing down the target of 25 without losing a wicket.
India will also take confidence from their last Test against England, played in Navi Mumbai in December 2023. The hosts produced one of the most dominant performances in women’s Test cricket, defeating England by a massive 347 runs. After posting 428 in the first innings, with half-centuries from Shubha Satheesh (69), Jemimah Rodrigues (68), Yastika Bhatia (66) and Deepti Sharma (67), India bowled England out for 136, with Deepti returning sensational figures of 5/7. Harmanpreet Kaur’s side then declared on 186/6 in the second innings before dismissing England for 131 to seal their biggest-ever Test victory by runs.
The Lord’s encounter will provide India with an opportunity to make history at a venue that has hosted some of cricket’s most memorable moments.The match also presents a chance to put the disappointment of the T20 World Cup behind them and make a statement in the red-ball format against one of the strongest sides in women’s cricket. Having enjoyed success in home Tests over the past few years, the visitors will now look to translate that confidence into overseas conditions and script another memorable chapter in Indian cricket.
India squad for the one-off Test against England: Harmanpreet Kaur (C), Smriti Mandhana (VC), Yastika Bhatia (WK), Harleen Deol, Kranti Gaud, Richa Ghosh (WK), Pratika Rawal, Sneh Rana, Renuka Singh, Jemimah Rodrigues, Sayali Satghare, Shafali Verma, Nandni Sharma, N Sree Charani
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