India’s women cricket team recorded a historic 270-run victory over England in the first-ever women’s Test match staged at Lord’s, sealing the win on the fourth day of the match, 13 July 2026. The Test began on 10 July, and the occasion marked the first time Lord’s had hosted a women’s Test in its 142-year history as a cricket ground. Before the match, a parade of around 50 former England players rang the traditional five-minute bell, and portraits of pioneering women cricketers were unveiled in the Long Room. A world-record crowd for a women’s Test, reported at 15,243, attended on the second day.
England won the toss and chose to field, looking to exploit early morning moisture and the ground’s well-known slope. India’s batters navigated testing conditions to post 285 in the first innings, built on half-centuries from Smriti Mandhana (83) and Harmanpreet Kaur (58), alongside 57 from Deepti Sharma. Debutant seamer Kranti Gaud then ran through England’s batting order, taking five wickets for 37 runs to bowl the hosts out for 170. In doing so, Gaud became the first woman to record a five-wicket haul at Lord’s. Amy Jones top-scored for England with 52.
Batting again with a lead of 115, India extended their advantage in the second innings, reaching 341 for seven declared. Yastika Bhatia made 113 to become the first woman to score a Test century at Lord’s, while Richa Ghosh contributed an unbeaten fifty from just 52 balls, one of the fastest half-centuries by an Indian woman in red-ball cricket.
Set 457 to win, England were bowled out for 186 shortly before lunch on the fourth day. Amy Jones made a second half-century of the match, becoming the first wicketkeeper to score fifty or more in both innings of a women’s Test. Sophie Ecclestone’s defiant 50 delayed the finish, before off-spinner Sneh Rana wrapped up the match, finishing with four wickets for 42 runs, including the final wicket of Ecclestone, bowled. Deepti Sharma took two more wickets, as did Sayali Satghare and Kranti Gaud, who ended the match with seven wickets in total.
The result was England’s heaviest defeat by margin against India in a women’s Test and their first loss to India in the format since 1995. It came only days after England’s T20 World Cup final defeat by Australia, also at Lord’s, and marked the final international appearances of Heather Knight and Tammy Beaumont, both of whom received guards of honour as they left the field. Speaking after the match, India captain Harmanpreet Kaur said the team’s opening batters had “been our strength” throughout the tour and praised the support staff’s role in preparing the side for red-ball cricket. England captain Nat Sciver-Brunt acknowledged that her side had “struggled to find our length” in the first innings and had not built sufficient partnerships with the bat.
Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports, Dr Mansukh Mandaviya, congratulated the team on X shortly after the win: “History at Lord’s! Congratulations to our Women’s Cricket Team on becoming the first-ever women’s team to win a Test match at the iconic venue. A commanding 270-run victory over England makes this achievement even more special.”
The Board of Control for Cricket in India issued a formal statement following the win. BCCI President Mithun Manhas said: “This is one of the finest moments in the history of Indian women’s cricket. To win a Test match at Lord’s is incredibly special and is a reflection of the courage, discipline, and belief this team has shown throughout the contest. They embraced the occasion, played with tremendous character, and made the entire nation proud.”
BCCI Honorary Secretary Devajit Saikia added: “This historic victory is the result of years of sustained investment and belief in women’s cricket.”
India’s win took their record to seven victories, three draws and one defeat in their last eleven Tests, extending their unbeaten run in women’s Test cricket on English soil.
