Bhatia Becomes First Woman to Score Test Century at Lord’s

Bhatia Makes History at the Home of Cricket

Yastika Bhatia has become the first woman to score a Test century at Lord’s, anchoring India’s commanding position in the first-ever women’s Test match held at the historic London venue. The 25-year-old wicketkeeper-batter finished her innings with 113 runs off 158 balls, featuring 14 fours.

Bhatia’s milestone came on the third day of the four-day match, following a period of significant personal adversity. After undergoing anterior cruciate ligament surgery in October 2025, which sidelined her for six months and forced her to miss the 2025 Women’s ODI World Cup, Bhatia described the achievement as “unbelievable.”

Her century places her alongside notable Indian men’s cricketers who have also reached the milestone at Lord’s, including Vinoo Mankad, Dilip Vengsarkar, Mohammad Azharuddin, Sourav Ganguly, and Rahul Dravid. Reflecting on her recovery, Bhatia credited her parents, sister, doctors, and mentor Kiran More for their support during her rehabilitation at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru.

Bhatia Makes History at the Home of Cricket — Photo: Telanganatoday

India’s Dominance and England’s Retirement News

India’s dominance in the match has been underscored by significant individual performances and a heavy lead. By the time India declared their second innings at 341-7, they held a 456-run advantage over England.

The match has also been marked by the impending retirement of two England stalwarts. Captain Heather Knight announced her retirement from international cricket following the conclusion of this match, deciding to make the news public during the tea break on Saturday. Her longtime teammate Tammy Beaumont is also retiring after this fixture.

England faced further pressure on the field as their pursuit of the target appeared challenging. The record for the highest successful fourth-innings chase in women’s Test cricket remains Australia’s 198, set in 2011.

Record-Breaking Performances on the Honours Board

The match has seen multiple players etch their names onto the Lord’s Test honours board. Indian pacer Kranti Gaud became the first woman to feature on the bowling honours board after claiming a five-wicket haul against England in the first innings, finishing with the wickets of Tammy Beaumont, Maia Bouchier, Alice Capsey, Nat Sciver-Brunt, and Lauren Bell. The 22-year-old, who hails from Ghuwara in Madhya Pradesh, is the youngest Indian woman fast bowler to take a five-wicket haul in Test cricket.

England’s Sophie Ecclestone also secured a place on the honours board after taking five wickets in India’s second innings. Ecclestone, who bowled throughout the first two sessions of the third day, dismissed Harmanpreet Kaur, Deepti Sharma, Yastika Bhatia, Sneh Rana, and another batter to reach the milestone.

FLASH: Yastika Bhatia becomes first woman cricketer to score a century at Lord’s | Sports Today

Summary of Historic Milestones

Context and Match Outlook

Despite India’s strong position, England’s resistance in the second innings ensured the match would proceed to a fourth day. Amy Jones contributed a half-century, and Mady Villiers faced 63 balls for her 26 runs to hold the innings together. England ended the day at 130-6.

The match has drawn significant attention, with a record attendance of 15,243 spectators recorded on Saturday, July 11, marking the highest turnout for a day of women’s Test cricket. While England’s Lauren Bell showed promise with the ball—nearly dismissing Bhatia on the first ball of Sunday’s play—she later left the field with abdominal soreness, further complicating the hosts’ efforts to salvage the match.

Find more reporting in our Sports section.