India's women's cricket team achieved a historic victory in the first Test match at Lord's, defeating England on July 13, 2026. This win comes 142 years after the first men's Test match was played at the iconic ground. The performance saw individual milestones, with batter Yastika Bhatia scoring the first international Test century by an Indian woman at Lord's, earning her a place on the venue's batting honours board. Bhatia, a left-handed batter from Vadodara, scored 113 in her career's first international century. "Their contribution has inspired us to take up cricket and to perform the way we are doing today, so their role is very crucial and they have laid the foundation," Bhatia stated, reflecting on the pioneers of women's cricket in India. She added that these earlier players had not received the recognition they deserved, emphasizing the need to acknowledge their contributions to Indian and world cricket.
Joining Bhatia in the record books was 22-year-old seam bowler Kranti Gaud, who became the first Indian woman to be placed on Lord's bowling honours board. Gaud, hailing from Ghuwara, took five wickets for 37 runs in England's first innings. Her journey to this achievement was supported by her mother, who once pawned jewelry to buy her first cricket kit.
The team's captain, Harmanpreet Kaur, was pictured holding the trophy after the win. The match also highlighted the limited opportunities for women in the longest format of the game, with some players having relatively few Test appearances despite long international careers. One player noted before the match that while the opportunity might have come late, it was still significant to be part of such a historic day.