On a historic day for women’s cricket, England and India faced off in the first-ever women’s Test match played at Lord’s. The long-awaited event began with a moving ceremony, where former players who had been denied the opportunity to play at the famous ground rang the traditional start-of-play bell.
By the end of the opening day, the match was finely balanced. India were bowled out for 285, and England finished their brief batting period at 21 for one.
Earlier in the day, India had looked set for a massive score. They reached 190 for three, driven by half-centuries from Smriti Mandhana, captain Harmanpreet Kaur, and Deepti Sharma. However, none of them managed to convert their starts into a century that would put their names on the prestigious Lord's honours board.
England’s bowlers staged a dramatic comeback in the afternoon and evening sessions. The star of the show was Sophie Ecclestone. After bowling 20 overs without a wicket, the spinner took three wickets in just six balls to wrap up the Indian innings. With this performance, Ecclestone overtook Katherine Sciver-Brunt to become England women’s all-time leading wicket-taker, reaching 337 wickets across all formats. Her historic achievement earned her a standing ovation from the 10,000 fans in attendance.
Other England players also contributed to the fightback. Debutant spinner Mady Villiers bowled the ball of the day to dismiss Harmanpreet, who was struggling with hand and hamstring injuries. Fast bowler Lauren Filer took the first wicket of the match, while Lauren Bell and Issy Wong also bowled brilliantly to disrupt the Indian batting lineup. Nat Sciver-Brunt's decision to bowl first after winning the toss—an unconventional move—ultimately paid off as England managed to bowl the visitors out.
In the final 45 minutes of the day, India fought back with the ball. Bowler Kranti Gaud trapped Tammy Beaumont leg-before-wicket, leaving England in a challenging position as they head into the second day.