Smriti Mandhana Shines as India Put England Under Pressure on Historic First Day of Women’s Test at Lord’s

India Women ended the opening day of the historic one-off Test against England in a strong position after bowling the hosts to 21/1 at stumps, leaving them 264 runs behind. It was a memorable day at Lord’s, which hosted its first-ever women’s Test match in its 212-year history.

After England captain Nat Sciver-Brunt chose to bowl first, India made a positive start with the bat and finished with 285 in 74.5 overs. The visitors looked set for a much bigger total before a late collapse handed England a way back into the contest.

Smriti Mandhana led the way with a classy 83, missing out on what would have been a memorable century at the Home of Cricket. Captain Harmanpreet Kaur added 58, and the pair put together an important 89-run stand for the fourth wicket to steady the innings.

Deepti Sharma then scored a valuable 57 lower down the order to take India closer to the 300-run mark. However, India slipped from 190/3 to 285 all out, losing their last seven wickets for just 95 runs as the pitch began to offer more help to the spinners.

England’s bowling attack recovered well after a difficult first session. Left-arm spinner Sophie Ecclestone was the standout performer with 3 for 68. The spell also took her past Katherine Sciver-Brunt to become England’s leading wicket-taker across all international formats.

Fast bowlers Lauren Filer and Issy Wong claimed two wickets each with lively spells, while debutant spinner Mady Villiers also picked up two wickets to make an encouraging start to her Test career.

England then faced a testing 11 overs before the close. India struck early when debutant pacer Kranti Gaud trapped Tammy Beaumont lbw for 2 in the fourth over.

Maia Bouchier remained unbeaten on 17, while Heather Knight was 1 not out as England finished on 21/1. The hosts will need a strong batting effort on Day 2 to cut into India’s first-innings advantage.

The match has already created history as the first women’s Test to be played at Lord’s, 142 years after the ground staged its first men’s Test. England handed Test debuts to Mady Villiers and Alice Capsey, while Shree Charani earned her maiden Test cap for India.

The pitch showed signs of turn on the opening day, suggesting spin could have a major influence as the match moves deeper into the contest. With a healthy first-innings total and an early breakthrough, India will head into Day 2 with the upper hand.