India Women Defeat England By 270 Runs In Masterclass At Lord’s

NEW DELHI-India’s cricket fraternity celebrated the national team’s historic victory in the first-ever women’s Test at Lord’s, with former India captains Ajinkya Rahane and Mithali Raj and former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan leading the tributes after Harmanpreet Kaur’s side crushed England by 270 runs at the Home of Cricket.

Rahane celebrated the achievement on social media, writing, “What a special win! Congratulations to Harmanpreet Kaur and the entire team for making history at Lord’s. A performance to remember.”

Former India women’s captain Mithali Raj said, “A complete team performance to seal a legendary, historic Test win in England! Two names added to the iconic Lord’s honors board in a single game, huge congratulations to @yastikabhatia for her sensational hundred and Kranti Gaud for her clinical five-wicket haul, brilliantly set up by @mandhana_smriti’s exceptional composure across both innings.”

Off-spinner Sneh Rana excelled with figures of 4-42 as India bowled England out for 186 while defending a challenging target of 457. Deepti Sharma contributed with 2-36 as India completed the emphatic victory on the fourth day.

The decisive win gave India their seventh victory in the last 11 women’s Tests and maintained their unbeaten record in red-ball cricket on English soil.

Tributes poured in following the historic victory, with National Cricket Academy head VVS Laxman and former England captain Michael Vaughan among those praising India’s performance.

“A truly special win. Congratulations to the Indian Women’s team on a memorable Test victory at Lord’s. Your skill, resilience, and fighting spirit have made the whole nation proud. Keep it up @BCCI,” Laxman posted on X.

Vaughan praised India’s dominant performance, while BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla also congratulated the team on the historic victory.

India’s win was powered by standout performances over all four days. Vice-captain Smriti Mandhana scored 83 and 70, while Yastika Bhatia hit 113 to become the first woman to score a Test century at Lord’s. Richa Ghosh smashed an unbeaten 50 off 52 balls, while Kranti Gaud claimed the first five-wicket haul in a women’s Test at the venue.

Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan posted, “Victory with a touch of class. Well done, Indian Women’s team on the test match victory vs England w. Smriti Mandana, Deepti Sharma, Kranti Gaud, Yastika Bhatia, Richa Ghosh, Sneh Rana. You all were amazing. Well done, Captain Kaur.”

Former India opener Shikhar Dhawan also hailed the team’s achievement, saying champions “don’t wait for history to happen” but “create it,” and praised the performances of Yastika Bhatia, Smriti Mandhana and Kranti Gaud.

The victory came in front of India batting legend Sachin Tendulkar, who spoke to the team before play began, and capped a dominant performance by India in the first women’s Test held at Lord’s in the venue’s 142-year history. (IANS)