How India's Lord's win echoes the legacy of its pioneering women cricketers
On Monday afternoon, India cricketer Sneh Rana delivered the ball at London's iconic Lord's cricket stadium, completing a journey for the Indian women's cricket team
On Monday afternoon, India cricketer Sneh Rana delivered the ball at London's iconic Lord's cricket stadium, completing a journey for the Indian women's cricket team that has been half-a-century in the making. The bandana-wearing off-spinner, who hails from a small town in northern India, floated one outside the off stump. England's Sophie Ecclestone, having just completed a flamboyant half-century, pressed forward, only for the ball to dip, grip and sneak between bat and pad into the stumps.
Rana blew a kiss skywards as her teammates rushed towards her in jubilation. England were all out for 186 on the fourth and final day, giving India a 270-run victory - the biggest by a visiting team against England in women's Tests and the fourth largest in the format's history. The celebrations, however, were as much about the past as the present. Throughout the match, India's players repeatedly paid tribute to the pioneers who had laid the foundations of women's cricket in the country, insisting that this moment belonged to them too.
Fifty years after India played their first officially recognised women's international series, Harmanpreet Kaur's side had become the first Indian women's team to win a Test at Lord's. The victory came 40 years after India's maiden women's Test tour of England in 1986 and extended their unbeaten Test record in the country to 10 matches - three wins and seven draws. "Playing at Lord's is always special," Harmanpreet, now India's most successful Test captain with four victories compared to her predecessor Mithali Raj's three, told the host broadcaster after the match.
"I really want to thank the people who thought about bringing one Test match here. These kinds of matches bring a lot of happiness and excitement. Hopefully, we'll keep getting more Test matches and keep performing the way we are doing," she added.
The BriefWire