Harmanpreet Kaur calls for more women’s Test matches after historic win at Lord’s
India captain Harmanpreet Kaur hopes her side’s historic win at Lord’s will be the start of a longer journey for women’s Test cricket and calls for more red-ball matches after leading India to a famous win over England.
India beat England by 270 runs in a one-off Test at Lord’s to become the first team to win a women’s Test at the iconic venue. The win was India’s fourth in the last five Tests and extended their unbeaten record in England, where they have now won three and drawn seven of their 10 matches.
Harmanpreet said after the match that she hoped the team would now get more opportunities to play the longest format.
“Hopefully we get another ten Test matches and we can continue to perform,” Harmanpreet said after lifting the trophy at Lord’s.
The Indian captain admitted that she could not imagine a better ending to this historic event.
“I don’t think so. God is a better writer and he wrote it quite well,” Harmanpreet said when asked if she could have scripted the win better.
Harmanpreet praised the team’s support staff for helping the players adapt quickly to English conditions after a tough white-ball tour.
“It’s an effort. The support staff, they’ve played a lot of Test cricket and they know how it moves and they give us feedback every moment. I really want to thank Amol and everyone else for the way we played.”
“The last few series have not been in our favour. I want to appreciate the support team. This summer did not develop as it would have liked, but we came back strongly in the Test match,” she added.
YASTIKA, KRANTI LEADS INDIA
India’s win was built on contributions throughout the XI. Smriti Mandhana laid the platform with 83 in the first innings before Yastika Bhatia created history by becoming the first woman to score a Test century at Lord’s. Her stunning 113 helped India post 341/7 in the second innings, setting England a daunting target of 457.
With the ball, Kranti Gauda’s five-wicket haul in the first innings gave India a decisive advantage before Sneha Rana’s four-wicket haul in the second innings ended the match early on the fourth morning.
Harmanpreet reserved special praise for Yastica Bhatia, explaining that the wicket-taker justified the faith shown in her.
“That’s why we put her in the eleven. Really happy with the way she batted.”
The India captain also highlighted his side’s improvement in the field, an area that often comes under scrutiny.
“The way our whole team came on, it was special to watch. We worked very hard as a team. Really happy with how our whole team came on. Everyone came together and got the job done for the team.”
Signing off to thank the authorities for hosting the match at Lord’s, Harmanpreet reiterated her hope that women’s cricket would get more opportunities to play Test matches at iconic venues.
“It’s always special to play at Lord’s. I really want to thank the people who thought about bringing the game here and hopefully more of us will come here.”
– The end
Issued by:
Kingshuk Kusari
Published on:
13 Jul 2026 20:21 IST