Mandhana Shines, England Fight Back as Historic Lord’s Women’s Test Hangs in Balance

London, July 2026 : India squandered a commanding position after a dramatic batting collapse, but still ended an eventful opening day of the historic first-ever Women’s Test at Lord’s with a slight advantage as England reached 21/1 in reply, trailing by 264 runs at stumps on Friday.

The inaugural women’s Test at the iconic venue produced engrossing cricket from start to finish. India appeared firmly in control after Smriti Mandhana’s elegant 83 and Harmanpreet Kaur’s determined 58 guided them to 190/3. However, England staged a remarkable comeback, dismissing the visitors for 285 after they lost their final seven wickets for just 95 runs.

England’s response began cautiously but suffered an early setback when veteran opener Tammy Beaumont, playing the final international match of her career, was trapped lbw for just two by Kranti Gaud. Maia Bouchier remained unbeaten on 17 alongside captain Heather Knight (1 not out), ensuring England ended the day without further damage.

Earlier, England captain Heather Knight elected to bowl first under overcast conditions, and the decision paid immediate dividends. Lauren Filer struck in the second over when Shafali Verma edged behind without scoring, giving England the perfect start.

Smriti Mandhana, however, quickly shifted the momentum. Displaying superb timing and confidence, she found boundaries with ease while Yastika Bhatia contributed 12 before Lauren Bell produced a superb delivery to clean her up. Jemimah Rodrigues then joined Mandhana, and together they steadied the innings with an impressive 64-run partnership.

Mandhana dominated England’s attack, bringing up a fluent half-century off just 50 deliveries and becoming the first woman to register a Test fifty at Lord’s. She also attacked premier spinner Sophie Ecclestone confidently, including a towering slog sweep for six.

Rodrigues departed for 35 after chopping onto her stumps, but captain Harmanpreet Kaur ensured India maintained control. Battling discomfort in her hand and hamstring, Harmanpreet displayed remarkable resilience, reaching a composed half-century while sharing a valuable 79-run stand with Mandhana.

England fought back in the afternoon session through disciplined bowling. Issy Wong finally broke the crucial partnership when Mandhana edged behind after a superb knock of 83, falling just 17 runs short of a memorable century. Just before tea, debutant spinner Mady Villiers delivered another crucial breakthrough by bowling Harmanpreet for 58 with a sharply turning delivery.

The final session belonged entirely to England. Wicketkeeper-batter Richa Ghosh was dismissed for 13 attempting an aggressive stroke, exposing India’s lower order.

Deepti Sharma resisted with a determined 57 from 87 balls, striking seven boundaries and handling the spinners confidently with an array of sweep shots. She completed a deserving half-century but received little support from the tail.

Villiers impressed on her debut by trapping Sneh Rana lbw, while Ecclestone dismantled the remaining batters with precision. The experienced left-arm spinner removed Sayali Satghare, dismissed Deepti, and then bowled Kranti Gaud to finish with figures of 3/68.

The performance also carried historic significance as Ecclestone surpassed Katherine Sciver-Brunt to become England’s highest wicket-taker across all formats, receiving a standing ovation from the 10,768 spectators at Lord’s.

India’s total of 285 looked competitive but perhaps below par considering the dominant platform established by Mandhana and Harmanpreet.

England’s reply faced immediate pressure from India’s disciplined pace attack. Kranti Gaud produced the breakthrough by trapping Beaumont in front with a delivery that jagged back sharply. She nearly claimed Heather Knight soon after, but India opted against a review despite replays suggesting the ball would have clipped leg stump.

Bouchier settled England’s nerves with a composed unbeaten innings, collecting a couple of timely boundaries before Harmanpreet introduced Sneh Rana’s spin late in the evening. Rana bowled a tidy maiden over, extracting encouraging turn from the Lord’s surface.

With England still 264 runs behind and the pitch already offering assistance to both seamers and spinners, the match remains delicately poised heading into the second day. India will believe a few early wickets can put them firmly in command, while England will aim to build a substantial first-innings reply and erase the deficit in what promises to be another fascinating day of Test cricket.

Score: India 285 all out in 74.5 overs (Smriti Mandhana 83, Harmanpreet Kaur 58, Deepti Sharma 57; Sophie Ecclestone 3/68, Issy Wong 2/41, Mady Villiers 2 wickets) lead England 21/1 in 11 overs (Maia Bouchier 17 not out; Kranti Gaud 1/8) by 264 runs.