The upcoming summer of cricket in England offers plenty of excitement and anticipation for Indian cricket lovers, not only because of the Women's T20 World Cup starting June 12 but also the historic one-off Women's Test at the iconic Lord’s cricket ground between India and England, scheduled from July 10 to 13.
First Women's Test at Lord's
This will be the first-ever Women's Test at the traditional 'home of cricket,' which previously hosted the 2017 Women's ODI final between the two teams. Indian women's team captain Harmanpreet Kaur expressed her excitement during a press conference at the BCCI headquarters on Saturday, following the announcement of India's squads for the 2026 T20 World Cup and the one-off Test. 'I am very excited about playing a Test at Lord’s. It’s a dream for every cricketer to play a Test match at Lord’s. I’d like to thank the BCCI for giving this opportunity, and hopefully we’ll do well over the next two months and play our best cricket,' she said.
BCCI Secretary's Remarks
BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia described the match as a marquee event. 'It will be a marquee match. It's an excellent opportunity for our players to get into the limelight at the Mecca of Cricket. It’ll be very interesting. I'm sure that our team will come out with colourful results,' he stated.
Record Ticket Sales
Earlier, the Marylebone Cricket Club announced that Lord’s had already broken the UK Women’s Test match attendance record, with over 23,207 tickets sold, despite still having 10 weeks to go before the historic game. The MCC stated, 'Fifty years after Rachael Heyhoe Flint first led a women’s side onto the Main Ground, the Home of Cricket is preparing for a summer defined by women’s sport, including its first ever women’s Test match. With ten weeks to go, ticket sales have already surpassed the highest attendance record of 23,207 for a women’s Test in England. The Test is the headline act in a record-breaking season at Lord’s, with 21 women’s fixtures scheduled, from international cricket to domestic competitions and pathway finals.'
India's Recent Performances in England
India suffered a heavy 10-wicket defeat against Australia in the one-off pink-ball Test in Perth in March but managed to draw their one-off Test in England almost four years ago in 2021, played at Bristol from June 16 to 19. In that match, opener Shafali Verma made a brilliant 96 on Test debut, narrowly missing a century, while all-rounder Sneh Rana scored a match-saving 80 not out in the second innings and took four wickets for 131 runs with her off-spin. Harmanpreet draws confidence from India's recent performances in English conditions. India drew the one-off Test in Bristol in June 2021, lost both the ODI and T20I series 2-1, but then achieved a 'double' over England in July 2025, winning the T20I series 2-1 and the ODI series 3-2. 'We did really well in our last two series in England, both in T20s and ODIs. It’s not that we struggled in England. Again, it’s a new series, and we will have to start afresh,' the captain said.
Selection and Bowling Concerns
Chief selector Amita Sharma addressed the team's shortcomings during the recent series in South Africa, which India lost 4-1. 'We were not able to take wickets in South Africa. We have tried to strengthen bowling. Discussions with the captain and coach focused on trying to take early wickets. More than batting, I was more disappointed with bowling,' she said. Explaining the choice of Bharti Fulmali over Harleen for the middle-order slot in the Women's T20 World Cup, Amita said, 'Harleen was considered for the middle-order slot, but we felt that Fulmali is a better option. Harleen continues to be in the scheme of things, as she’s in the Test squad, but Fulmali is a better option for T20s.'
Captain's Confidence in the Squad
Harmanpreet endorsed the selection, saying, 'Bharti has proven herself in domestic cricket and the WPL. She has helped win crucial matches. She is a perfect fit for the No. 6/7 slot that we are looking for. Nandani also is a proven performer in the WPL and is among the top wicket-takers. Despite losing our top players, I am sure they will come to the fore, and we have good options in them.'
Lessons from South Africa Tour
Reflecting on the lessons learned from the South Africa tour, Harmanpreet said, 'I feel that the T20 Powerplays are really important. We have to target runs while batting and wickets while bowling. The Powerplay sets the tone, so we’d like to work hard during the Powerplays. Also, the middle order has not been focused on too much, but we will work on all these aspects based on the lessons from South Africa.'
Jemimah Rodrigues Retains No. 3 Spot
The skipper backed Jemimah Rodrigues, who had a tough series in South Africa, to continue at the pivotal No. 3 position. 'Our batting order is settled now. Jemimah is one-down, and we don’t want to change too many things unnecessarily. She will be back after a dip in South Africa. I’m confident about it,' Harmanpreet concluded.
