Since the start of 2021, women's cricket has been privy to a total of 13 Test matches involving four teams. That's one more than the minimum number of matches a men's team plays in a single World Test Championship cycle, with the format remaining more of an occasional feature than a regular fixture in the women's game.

Time is the defining currency of Test cricket. But there exists a sense of irony to teams having very little of it to ramp up robust preparations for a one-off game, which has been the order of the women's game for the last 20 years. The last instance of a Test series of two or more games dates back to 2006.

England and India were incidentally the teams in action back then - as they were when a drought of 142 years ended at Lord's, which played host to its maiden women's Test. Yet, the Indian women's team once again delivered a performance that belied the sparse sprinkling of Test cricket, sauntering to a 270-run win.

"Yeah you can say that," head coach Amol Muzumdar said on the thought of the Lord's Test proving to be the perfect game for India. A notion hard to dispute after the visitors adapted to conditions better than the hosts, comfortably outbatting and outbowling them. And for a long-standing Achilles heel, India were sharp on the field for a major portion of the contest.

India had a little more time to prepare than England, who had a four-day turnaround between the T20 World Cup final and the Test. England skipper Nat Sciver-Brunt admitted that her team would've liked a few more days to prepare after the World Cup final, but was candid in accepting the demands of the schedule.

India were navigating a similar transition from white-ball cricket, notwithstanding the extra days of preparation at their disposal. Asked about England's shorter prep time, Muzumdar did not dwell on it, instead attributing India's dominant display to one important factor.

"I think we were disciplined in our approach towards our batting and disciplined in our bowling as well," he said. "Sticking to the basics of cricket. While bowling...controlled line and length. Aggression mixed with patience. So I think that was a key factor for this win."

Following their group stage exit at the T20 World Cup, the Indian team rerouted to Wormsley for a few sessions of preparation to reacclimatise with the red ball. That seamlessly transitioned into their arrival at Lord's before taking the field for the Test.

"We have always maintained this, that we go a little ahead of the series," Muzumdar elaborated on the team's preparation methods overseas. "If you're there in England, we go slightly ahead of the schedule. We try and acclimatise to the conditions - the ground conditions and the overhead conditions as well. Yeah, home conditions, we're definitely used to it. But when we go abroad, then I think that's the key for this team. We've said that we would like some more time for our preparations during the Test match. And luckily for us, we got this enough time."

The extra time clearly paid off in the coach's eyes. But India's ability to adapt so seamlessly to the demands of Test cricket, despite how infrequently the format is played, continues to stand out. It isn't necessarily new to the team, having adapted well to secure draws in Bristol and Carrara in 2021 - both one-off games again.

From not having a Test on the calendar in 2025, India have a third on the horizon in 2026 when they tour South Africa later in the year, having also played Australia in March.

In light of the sporadic nature of the format, a women's World Test Championship does seem an outlandish thought. But Muzumdar, a veteran of 171 first-class matches himself, was open to the idea of the concept should it ever materialise in future.

"I would be pleased, if that happens", his stress on the word 'pleased' clearly driving home his feelings about it.

"I've always maintained this that Test cricket is the ultimate format of the game. Our group knows it. Not just the leadership group, but also the players coming through. They also know that test cricket is something that we really pride ourselves in.

"Why not? But I'm not the one to judge it or throw light on it. But I think if that happens, great."

The factors that could shape such a possibility are aplenty - not least the financial variables and the number of teams in question. Marquee venues such as the Melbourne Cricket Ground and now Lord's opening its doors for a women's Test is a promising sign. As is the fact that the just-concluded Test at Lord's saw the record for the overall attendance across the four days rewritten at 37,846.

Whether this prompts more than a solitary Test fixture between two heavyweight sides is something time will tell. Irrespective of whether that is the case, it isn't far-fetched to expect India to find their bearings quickly again when they next take the field for a Test - little time to prepare or not.