There is cricket. Then there is Test cricket.
Event Context
There was a decent attendance even for the final day, though it promised very little cricket, India needing just four more wickets. And there were a lot of Indian fans in blue shirts, who were, in fact, one of the features at the Women’ T20 World Cup that preceded the Lord’s Test.
Kranti.
Player Focus
Apart from Yastika, Kranti and Sneh, there were a few other Indian performances that delighted the spectators. If Smriti Mandhana gets going twice during a Test, that alone should be worth the money paid for the ticket.
Team Analysis
Even in the one-sided encounter, there was much to savour for the crowd, for the English supporters, too. Like the two fighting fifties by wicketkeeper Amy Jones, a five-wicket haul and half-century by Sophie Eccelstone.
Match Outlook
It is the greatest theatre in sport. It will be injustice if Women’s Tests are reduced to tokenism. The first ever Women’s Test at Lord’s was a resounding success, not just from the Indian point of view. Harmanpreet Kaur’s women dominated England in no uncertain terms and won by 270 runs.
There was much to cheer about for India, apart from the handsome victory. The brilliant hundred by a returning Yastika Bhatia and superb spells from the young Kranti Gaud and the seasoned Sneh Rana.
On song: Yastika scored a brilliant century | Photo Credit: Getty Images
Contributions
So the Indian women could celebrate one of their greatest moments on a cricket field in front of the people that adored them.
The attendance at Lord’s actually set a new record for a Women’s Test. And the MCC had put in a serious effort to market the match. That is a reflection of the stunning evolution of the women’s game. The MCC had for long resisted female membership.
It had taken 239 years for Lord’s to host a Women’s Test. Hopefully it may not take as long for cricket’s most iconic venue to have the next one.
This Test was another example of how wonderfully well women cricketers could adapt to the demands of the longest format, though they get very few opportunities. India’s cricketers are luckier with the BCCI organising red-ball matches.
The seasoned Sneh excelled with the ball.
Mithali Raj, remember, ended her career with just 12 Tests, though she played 232 ODIs. Heather Knight, who played her last match for England, appeared only in 15 Tests. Sophie Devine didn’t get even one, because New Zealand no longer plays Tests.
Women in white deserve more Tests.
