​India vice-captain Smriti Mandhana said she feels immense pride after reaching 300 international matches, a milestone that arrived during the first-ever women’s Test at Lord’s. The 29-year-old also became the youngest woman in cricket history to achieve this feat and joined the select group of 12 women overall to play 300 international games. Before the match began, England captain Nat Sciver-Brunt won the toss and elected to bowl. India handed a Test debut to Shree Charani, while Yastika Bhatia returned to the playing XI. England handed out debut caps to Alice Capsey and Mady Villiers.
Mandhana revealed that she only learned of the milestone the night before the game. Looking back on her journey, she recalled the 2017 Women’s World Cup final at Lord’s and the uncertainty about her future following that challenging tournament. “I actually found out about the 300th international match last night. As a player, you don’t really keep track of games across all formats. I remember playing the 2017 World Cup final here at Lord’s. I didn’t have a great World Cup then, and I didn’t know if I’d get the chance to play for India again. So, to come back and play my 300th international match at Lord’s, I couldn’t ask for a better venue.”
Mandhana also spoke about moving past the disappointment of the T20 World Cup and focusing on the road ahead. “We had a chance at Lord’s to qualify against Australia in the T20 World Cup. We couldn’t take that opportunity, but that’s cricket. You have to keep moving on. Whether you score a hundred or a zero, every time you go out there, you start your innings from zero. It’s the same with the team. You’ll have good days and bad days, but we’ll always take things in our stride and give our best for the country.”
She explained that transitioning from T20 to red-ball cricket demands a shift in mindset and a return to fundamentals. “Batting for long periods definitely helps, especially since we don’t play a lot of Test cricket. We did play the pink-ball Test in Perth before. Returning to Wormsley was fantastic; I hadn’t been there since 2014, which brought back many memories. For me, preparation is about adjusting after opening in T20 cricket, where you’re expected to score quickly at a high strike rate. In red-ball cricket, you must watch the ball carefully. Returning to the basics is crucial. The preparation centered on getting the fundamentals right and spending extended periods at the crease.”