India Crush England by 270 Runs in the first-ever women’s Test played at the Home of Cricket, wrapping up the win on the fourth and final morning on July 13, 2026. It is the fourth-highest winning margin by runs in women’s Test history. India dominated every session of this four-day match from start to finish.
Sneh Rana Wraps It Up on Day Four
India came into the final morning needing four wickets. Sneh Rana delivered them in 95 minutes. She bowled Amy Jones for 54, exposing England’s tail, and then removed Sophie Ecclestone for a defiant 50, which shattered the stumps with a delivery that dipped and turned between bat and pad.
Deepti Sharma took the ninth wicket, bowling Issy Wong through her forward defence. Rana completed the win with her fourth wicket of the innings and sixth of the match. The celebrations at Lord’s were instant and deserved.
How India Built the Win: First Innings
England won the toss and chose to bowl first. They had early joy. Shafali Verma fell for a duck in the first over to Issy Wong. Yastika Bhatia went cheaply to Lauren Filer. India were 37 for 2 and under pressure at Lord’s.
Smriti Mandhana steadied the innings with 83. Harmanpreet Kaur added 58. Deepti Sharma played a brilliant lower-order counter-attacking knock, finishing unbeaten on 57 to push India to 285 all out. Sophie Ecclestone took 5 for 118 but also became England’s all-time leading wicket-taker across all international formats, reaching 338 career wickets in the same innings.
Kranti Gaud Tears Through England
When England came out to bat, they expected a tough session. They got something worse. Kranti Gaud bowled with meticulous discipline from the very first over, exploiting the Lord’s slope better than anyone in England’s lineup could handle.
She trapped the retiring Tammy Beaumont lbw for just 2. Beaumont walked off to a guard of honour, but the occasion offered her no protection from Gaud’s accuracy.
Gaud finished with 5 for 37. She was named Player of the Match and earned her name on the Lord’s honours board, becoming one of the first Indian women to achieve that distinction. England were bowled out for 170. India’s first-innings lead was 115 runs.
Bhatia’s Century Puts the Match Beyond England
India came out to bat again and set about building an insurmountable lead. Yastika Bhatia was the standout performer, scoring 113 and earning her own place on the Lord’s honours board. Smriti Mandhana added a second-innings 70. Richa Ghosh contributed an unbeaten 50 as India declared on 341 for 7, setting England a target of 457 runs to win.
Ecclestone took 5 for 118 in this innings, also earning her a place on the honours board as a bowler in the first innings. For one match, four Indian and one England name joined the honours board at Lord’s.
It was a remarkable collection of individual milestones inside one historic Test. India’s spinners have been growing in confidence since the Women’s T20 World Cup 2026, where N Shree Charani and Deepti Sharma bowled with outstanding control against Pakistan.
England Chase Falls Well Short
England needed 457. They were never going to get close. Heather Knight, who had already announced her retirement during the match, received a guard of honour before being dismissed for just 14. Beaumont had earlier gone for 2 in the first innings. Two England legends played their final international innings at Lord’s in the same match, making the occasion bittersweet for the home crowd.
Amy Jones was England’s most stubborn resistance across both innings, scoring 52 and 54. Ecclestone’s half-century showed genuine fight at number nine. But the spinners were too good. Rana took 4 for 42 in the second innings. Deepti took two more. England were bowled out for 186, 270 runs short of their target.
What This Win Means for India Women’s Cricket
This is India’s first-ever Test win at Lord’s in any format, men’s or women’s. It is also one of their most dominant Test victories in the history of the women’s game. The margin of 270 runs places this result among the great wins in women’s Test cricket.
India’s batting, bowling, and fielding were all outstanding across four days. Harmanpreet Kaur’s captaincy was sharp and proactive throughout. The use of Kranti Gaud with the new ball, giving her the first over at Lord’s rather than protecting her, was a bold and brilliant decision.
The growth of this India squad in red-ball cricket has been remarkable, and this Lord’s victory adds to the narrative of a side building genuine dominance across formats. Our guide to the Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 shows how India’s development across all formats has been building steadily throughout this entire year.
Conclusion
India left Lord’s with a 270-run victory and a permanent place in history. The first-ever women’s Test at Lord’s belonged entirely to them. Kranti Gaud, Yastika Bhatia, Smriti Mandhana, and Sneh Rana all made the Lord’s honours board. England fought hard but were outclassed across every session of a four-day match that will be remembered for generations. Women’s Test cricket found its greatest stage. India made sure they were worthy of it.
