England Women vs India Women, One-off Test, India Women tour of England 2026 - CommentaryENGW vs INDW, One-off Test, India Women tour of England 2026 - Commentary

Most of these Indian players have been in England for more than 50 days. They lost the T20I series against England and then missed out on a place in the knockouts of the ICC Women's T20 World Cup, but they have ended their tour on a high with an impressive victory in this one-off Test. India's next assignment is a white-ball series against Zimbabwe at home in October, while England will host Ireland for a three-match ODI series in the first week of September, after the conclusion of The Hundred Women's competition. We will leave it there. Thanks for being with us throughout, and hope you enjoyed our coverage. On behalf of Akshay Maanay and Venkatesh, this is Hardik Worah signing off. Goodbye, and take care!

Harmanpreet Kaur collects the trophy and is joined by her teammates as they smile, laugh, celebrate and pose for the cameras.

Kaur (2/2): [On Yastika Bhatia's century] She's a great batter. We had a very strong feeling about her, and that's why we put her in the XI. I'm really happy with the way she batted. [On Richa Ghosh's catch and India's fielding effort] Yes, definitely. We always have one player who gets our fielding award. The way our entire team fielded in this Test match was something very special to watch because fielding is an area we've worked very hard on as a group. When you see the results, you feel really happy. Our fielding coach has been working so hard for so many years now, so I'm really happy with the way the entire team fielded, especially Richa's performance. Everybody came together and did the job for the team. [On ending the England tour with a memorable victory at Lord's] Yes, definitely. Playing at Lord's is always special. I really want to thank the people who thought about bringing one Test match here, and hopefully in future we'll get many more. These kinds of matches bring a lot of happiness and excitement. Hopefully we'll keep getting more Test matches and keep performing the way we are doing.

Harmanpreet Kaur | India captain (1/2): [On if she could have written a better script] Definitely not. God is a better writer. He's written it very well. [On Smriti Mandhana providing the ideal start] Yes, definitely. I think our openers have been our biggest strength. The way they batted in the first half, I think that was something very special to watch. They're the ones who always take the responsibility and take all the pressure out from us. In this Test match also, the way they batted was outstanding to watch. [On India's impressive record despite playing very little Test cricket] Yeah, I think it's the effort the entire team is putting in, and especially our support staff. Many of them have played a lot of Test cricket. They know how Test cricket moves, and they're the ones giving us feedback each and every moment. Because of them we were able to perform. I really want to thank Amol sir and the entire team for the way they supported us during this Test match and the previous one we played. [On Kranti Gaud and the team's response after recent disappointments] Yes, definitely. I think the last couple of series have not been in our favour. But I know that's the time when things can go here and there. The way our support staff kept us together, that is something to watch. Again, I want to give credit to Amol sir and the entire support staff. They kept us together. I know the summer in England didn't go the way we wanted, but we came back strongly in the Test match. I'm really happy that we're taking some good memories back home now.

Sciver-Brunt (2/2): [On Heather Knight and Tammy Beaumont] Yeah, they've been a huge part of my whole career. Obviously, both part of the team before I started. So it's going to be a bit weird without them around. Obviously, Heather having taken over captaincy and been us through obviously the full professionalization of the game and taken us to where we are now. I'm in a hugely privileged position to be taking on at mantle and trying to take the team and the girls forward even further. But yeah, they've both been such a huge part of our team, had hugely successful careers and have so much to be proud of. But yeah, I'm just proud to have been part of their experience and of the people that they are. [On looking forward to the Ashes Test next year] I suppose reflecting really well on this game. Obviously using the experience as best we can and learning from that. And I suppose have that in the back pocket for when we then switch formats quite quickly next time and go into that lovely test match next summer against Australia. But yeah, I think every test match is so special and being able to create the memories that we can with our group is something to hold on to and be really proud of.

Nat Sciver-Brunt | England captain (1/2): [Where did things go wrong?] I think, I guess on the first morning, we probably didn't adapt to the conditions as well as we could have, struggled to find our length. But once we started hitting that, I think we were really in the game. And then I suppose the fact we just didn't have enough partnerships together and couldn't extend those and obviously get close to their total. So we were sort of fighting to get back into the game from then. But I think throughout, you know, different times in the match, we showed huge character. Sophie Ecclestone, Lauren Bell, Sophie, Issy finding something for us. And yeah, I guess just a great experience as a first match at Lord's. But yeah, plenty for us to work on. [On batting first] I don't think so. I mean, you could play it out the other way around and, you know, us be three or four down in the first morning or whatever it is. I think as a team we were happy with that decision. And yeah, I mean, I think we showed spells of being able to get on top of the game. [On not getting enough time to prepare] I guess, of course, we would have liked a couple more days between that final. But yeah, I suppose that's the scheduling landscape we're in. There's a lot of cricket being played in the calendar. So yeah, as cricketers, we have to be ready for that and recover as best as we can before obviously preparing for a test match in a T20 format. But yeah, I think that's what we've signed up for as cricketers. We want to be part of everything. [On leading England for the first time in Test] I have really enjoyed it. Absolutely loved walking through the long room and feeling the excitement from everyone there. We obviously had a very special test match in Heather and Tammy's last game as well. So yeah, there's been a lot going on and a lot of emotions riding around the four days.

Kranti Gaud | Player of the Match: [On whether she ever dreamt of becoming Player of the Match at Lord's] Growing up, I never imagined something like this would happen. But from the day this Test match began, I told myself that I wanted to get my name on the honours board. [On her bowling process and sticking to her strengths] My approach is very simple. I just focus on my line and length. Whatever the coaches have told me, I try to follow that by hitting the same line and length consistently. That's what I was thinking about with every ball. [On becoming part of Lord's history with her name on the honours board] I feel extremely proud, and so does my family. I want to thank everyone - my coaches, my seniors, and everyone who has supported me throughout this journey. [On taking a stump after the victory] I've made a small museum at home, and I'm going to keep the stump there forever.

The players shake hands as Sachin Tendulkar greets the Indian team outside the boundary ropes. Stay with us, we will be back shortly for the post-match presentation.

India’s Test wins at Lord’s (Men’s or Women’s)
By 5 wickets, 1986 (c: Kapil Dev)
By 95 runs, 2014 (c: MS Dhoni)
By 151 runs, 2021 (c: Virat Kohli)
By 270 runs, 2026 (c: Harmanpreet Kaur)

Best match returns by India seamers in Women’s Tests
10/78 - Jhulan Goswami vs ENG-W, Tanton, 2006
8/100 - Shashi Gupta vs AUS-W, Lucknow, 1984
7/91 - Kranti Gaud vs ENG-W, Lord’s, 2026
6/32 - Gargi Banerjee vs NZ-W, Cuttack, 1985
6/71 - Jhulan Goswami vs ENG-W, Delhi, 2005
6/114 - Shantha Rangaswamy vs ENG-W, Wetherby, 1986

Sophie Ecclestone is the second player to register a 50-plus score while batting at No.8 or lower in the fourth innings of a Women’s Test, after India’s Amita Sharma, who too, scored exactly 50 against England in Leicester in 2006.

IND-W vs ENG-W in Tests
Matches: 16
Won by India: 4
Won by England: 1 (Jamshedpur 1995)
Drawn: 11

India Women in Tests
1976-1999: 26 matches, 1 win, five defeats, 20 draws
2002-2006: 8 matches, 2 wins, 1 defeat, 5 draws
Since 2014: 9 matches, 6 wins, 1 defeat, 2 draws
India Women have won four of their last five Tests (since December 2023).

Biggest wins in Women’s Tests (by runs)
By 347 runs - IND-W vs ENG-W, Mumbai DYP, 2023
By 309 runs - SL-W vs PAK-W, Colombo (Colts), 1998
By 286 runs - ENG-W vs SA-W, Bloemfontein, 2024
By 270 runs - IND-W vs ENG-W, Lord’s, 2026
By 188 runs - NZ-W vs SA-W, Durban, 1972

As for the match itself, India dominated from the outset. England's seamers struggled for control with the new ball on Day 1, and Smriti Mandhana made them pay. Harmanpreet Kaur and Deepti Sharma also chipped in with fifties as India posted 285 in their first innings. Kranti Gaud then put her name on the Lord's honours board with a five-wicket haul to bowl England out for 170. Holding a first-innings lead of 115, India tightened their grip in the second innings as Mandhana followed her 83 with a fluent 70 before Yastika Bhatia batted England out of the contest with a stunning 113. Richa Ghosh then added the finishing touches with an unbeaten 52-ball 50 that was the final nail in England's coffin. Chasing a daunting target of 457, England once again failed to deliver with the bat and were bowled out for 186. Amy Jones was the only batter to put up a fight across both innings. It wasn't the farewell Heather Knight and Tammy Beaumont would have hoped for.

12:36 Local Time, 11:36 GMT, 17:06 IST: The inevitable has happened! It took Lord's 142 years to host its first Women's Test, and India Women marked the occasion by hammering England Women by 270 runs at the iconic venue. Harmanpreet Kaur and Co. were comfortably the better side, out-batting, out-bowling and out-fielding England on home soil. India's dominance in red-ball cricket continues, with seven wins, three draws and just one defeat in their last 11 Tests. This was also India Women's 10th Test in England, and they remain unbeaten in the format in the country.

Sneh Rana to Sophie Ecclestone, THATS OUT!! Bowled!!