Smriti Mandhana celebrated her 300th international appearance in style, notching up a memorable fifty during the historic Women’s Test at Lord’s on Friday. The vice-captain of India showed remarkable resilience after facing some early challenges, delivering a composed innings in the first-ever women’s Test at this iconic venue, where England Women faced off against India Women. In her ninth Test match, Mandhana achieved her fourth half-century in this format, playing a crucial role in steering India back on track with her positive strokeplay. She reached her milestone in just 50 balls and went into lunch unbeaten on 56 runs from 58 deliveries, once again stepping up on a momentous day for Indian women’s cricket.
Her innings was a perfect blend of control and aggression. Mandhana consistently found the boundary, keeping England from tightening their grip on the scoring rate, even with the movement available. Her performance featured six fours and two sixes, one of which made history as the first six ever hit in a women’s Test at Lord’s. Before this match, the left-hander had accumulated 635 runs from eight Tests at an impressive average of 48.84, and she had even better numbers against England, boasting an average of 58.88 in this format.
India Recover to 122/3 at Lunch After England’s Early Strikes
England kicked things off after captain Heather Knight chose to bowl first under the overcast skies. In just the second over, Lauren Filer struck, sending Shafali Verma back to the pavilion without scoring. Shortly after, Lauren Bell joined in, taking out Yastika Bhatia for 12, leaving India in a tough spot at 37/2 within the first seven overs.
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But then, Smriti Mandhana stepped up, teaming up with Jemimah Rodrigues to rebuild the innings. The duo launched a counter-attack, putting together a solid 64-run partnership for the third wicket, swinging the momentum back in favor of the visitors. Mandhana looked at ease right from the start, effortlessly finding gaps, while Rodrigues played with a sense of freedom that kept the runs flowing. India crossed the 100-run mark in the 19th over, as England’s bowlers struggled to keep their lines tight with the new ball. The much-needed breakthrough came when Issy Wong bowled Rodrigues for 35, with the batter inadvertently chopping the ball onto her stumps.
Captain Harmanpreet Kaur then joined Mandhana, helping to stabilize the innings before the lunch break. Together, they ensured there were no further hiccups, guiding India to 122/3 in 25 overs by the end of the first session. Mandhana walked off unbeaten on 56, while Harmanpreet remained not out on 14. England managed to claim three wickets during the session, but India’s impressive recovery after those early setbacks meant they headed into the second session with the upper hand.
