India have had the better of England Women in Test cricket but this is the first-ever Women's test at Lord's. England, at home, are generally very solid, so I am backing them to secure the win.
Key Stats - First-Ever Lord's Women's Test
- England Women’s Nat Sciver-Brunt's last 5 knocks have been 57, 46*, 48, 75 & 58*.
- England Women’s Heather Knight has scores of 25, 43 & 58 in her last 4 innings.
- England Women’s Lauren Bell has figures of 1/24, 2/28 & 1/38 in 4 matches.
- India Women’s Smriti Mandhana has scored 68, 74 & 38 in her last 5 matches.
- India Women’s Shafali Verma has scores of 55, 31, 53 & 34 in her last 4 innings.
- India Women’s Sneh Rana has taken 24 wickets (ave 24.15) in her 5 Tests.
India Women Lead
India Women hold a 3-2 advantage in Test cricket against England. There has been one draw.
England Women Test Results Strong at Home
England enter this Test with a strong white-ball campaign behind them, but questions remain over their recent record in the longest format. They reached the final of the 2026 Women’s T20 World Cup, where they were beaten by Australia at Lord’s, but their previous Test came back in January 2025 and ended in a heavy defeat at the MCG. England have won only one of their last 10 Tests stretching back to 2015, so this match represents both a fresh start and a serious challenge.
Charlotte Edwards has made changes for England’s first longer-format match of the summer. Nat Sciver-Brunt leads the side, with Tammy Beaumont returning after missing out on the T20 World Cup squad. Beaumont brings valuable Test experience and sits inside England’s top 20 all-time Test run scorers with 612 runs.
There is also a mix of youth and opportunity in the squad. Alice Capsey, wicketkeeper Eleanor Threlkeld, seamer Grace Potts, spin all-rounder Mady Villiers and 18-year-old left-arm spinner Tilly Corteen-Coleman have all received maiden Test call-ups. Heather Knight brings major experience and could play her 15th Test, while the newer players offer England a chance to refresh their red-ball setup.
Charlie Dean is absent, with her workload being managed after a winter back injury. Freya Kemp and Dani Gibson are also rested following a demanding T20 World Cup campaign. England may also look to inject pace through Lauren Filer and Issy Wong, both capable of troubling India with extra speed.
England’s white-ball form is strong, but their Test record needs rebuilding. This match gives them the chance to reset in a format where consistency has been hard to find.
India Women Struggle Away
India arrive with a strong recent Test record against England, even if their wider 2026 form has been mixed. They missed the semi-finals of the Women’s T20 World Cup after group-stage defeats to Australia and South Africa, and their only Test this year was a pink-ball match at the WACA in March, where they lost to Australia by 10 wickets. That result was India’s first Test defeat since 2006.
Despite that setback, India’s record against England remains excellent. They beat England by 347 runs in Navi Mumbai in December 2023 and have won three of their last four Tests against them, although those matches stretch back to 2006. India have not lost a Test to England since 1995 and remain unbeaten in nine Tests in England, with two wins and seven draws.
Their last Test win in England came at Wormsley in 2014, when Smriti Mandhana scored a half-century on debut in a successful chase. That victory was significant, as India had not played a Test for eight years and fielded eight debutants, including Harmanpreet Kaur.
Harmanpreet again leads the squad, which includes several players new to Test cricket. Harleen Deol, left-arm spinner N Shree Charani and fast bowler Nandani Sharma are uncapped in the format, while Sayali Satghare could benefit from London conditions as a seam-bowling all-rounder.
Competition for batting places looks intense. Pratika Rawal, one of the stars of India’s ODI World Cup win, will be pushing for selection alongside Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Yastika Bhatia and Harleen. With the ball, India must choose between Renuka Singh, Kranti Gaud and Nandani, while Satghare’s batting may give her an advantage.
England vs India Women Test Squads & Team news
England Women have named five uncapped players in their 15-player squad for the one-off Test against India at Lord’s, starting on July 10. Alice Capsey, Tilly Corteen-Coleman, Mady Villiers, Grace Potts and Ellie Threlkeld could all make Test debuts, while Issy Wong and Emma Lamb return to contention. Nat Sciver-Brunt is set to captain England, fitness permitting, in the first women’s Test ever staged at Lord’s.
India have also added uncapped seam bowler Nandani Sharma and left-arm spinner N Shree Charani for the historic four-day match.
England Women squad: Nat Sciver-Brunt (c), Tammy Beaumont, Lauren Bell, Maia Bouchier, Alice Capsey, Tilly Corteen-Coleman, Sophie Ecclestone, Lauren Filer, Amy Jones, Heather Knight, Emma Lamb, Grace Potts, Ellie Threlkeld, Mady Villiers, Issy Wong.
India Women squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Smriti Mandhana, Yastika Bhatia, Harleen Deol, Kranti Gaud, Richa Ghosh, Pratika Rawal, Sneh Rana, Renuka Singh, Jemimah Rodrigues, Sayali Satghare, Shafali Verma, Nandani Sharma, Shree Charani.