Harmanpreet Kaur-led India are facing Nat Sciver-Brunt’s England in the historic one-off Test match at Lord’s cricket ground. It’s the first time that the iconic venue is hosting a women’s Test match. Smriti Mandhana, who is playing her ninth Test match, joined Mithali Raj and Harmanpreet Kaur in an elite list when she stepped onto the field. Mandhana has become only the third Indian cricketer to play 300 matches. Mandhana made her India debut in an ODI against Bangladesh in 2013. She had made her T20I debut five days prior to her ODI game. Mandhana made her Test debut against England in 2014.
She has 635 runs in 14 innings and 5411 runs in 120 ODIs. The left-handed batsman has scored 4538 runs in the shortest format. She has a long career ahead of her and can become the most-capped player in women’s cricket history in the coming years.
Mandhana is the current vice-captain in all three formats. She was part of the team that won the 2025 ODI World Cup. She scored 45 off 58 balls in the final. With 434 runs, she finished as the tournament’s highest run-scorer.
Women’s cricketers to play most matches
Harmanpreet Kaur tops the elite list. She is playing her 374th game. She is followed by Suzie Bates, who has played 370 games. Interestingly, Bates has never played Test cricket as New Zealand played their last red-ball game in 2006. Bates made her debut in 2006.
Mithali Raj finished her career with 333 caps. The Indian legend played 12 Tests, 232 ODIs and 89 T20Is before retiring from international cricket in 2022.
Sophie Devine (317), Stafanie Taylor (315), Dannie Wyatt-Hodge (311), Deandra Dottin (309) and Charlotte Edwards (300) follow Mithali on the elite list, respectively.
England opts to bowl
Meanwhile, England won the toss and opted to bowl first in the fixture. The visiting team lost the early wicket of Shafali Verma, who was dismissed for a four-ball duck. Yastika Bhatia scored 12 off 17.
India’s playing XI: Harmanpreet Kaur (Captain), Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Yastika Bhatia, Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh, Deepti Sharma, Sneh Rana, Sayali Satghare, Shree Charani, Kranti Gaud.
England’s playing XI: Nat-Sciver Brunt (Captain), Tammy Beaumont, Maia Bouchier, Heather Knight, Alice Capsey, Amy Jones, Mady Villiers, Sophie Ecclestone, Issy Wong, Lauren Bell, Lauren Filer
