Harmanpreet Kaur Makes History with Landmark Test Victory at Lord's
Historic Win for Indian Women's Cricket Team
Harmanpreet Kaur has etched her name in history by guiding the Indian women's cricket team to a remarkable 270-run victory over England in a one-off Test match held at the iconic Lord's cricket ground. This match was particularly significant as it marked the first time a women's Test was played at this renowned venue, often referred to as the 'home of cricket'. Key performances came from Yastika Bhatia, Kranti Gaud, and Smriti Mandhana, while Harmanpreet contributed a solid half-century (58) in the first innings, helping India amass a total of 285 and secure a substantial lead of 105 runs.
Harmanpreet Kaur's Record-Breaking Achievement
This victory represents Harmanpreet's fourth win as captain in Test matches, setting a new record for the most wins by any Indian women's cricket team captain. At 37 years old, she has led the team in just five Test matches, surpassing the previous record held by Mithali Raj. Only four captains have successfully led the Indian women's team to victory in Test cricket.
Most Wins By An Indian Women's Cricket Team Captain In Test Cricket| Captain | Test Matches Won | Test Matches Captained | Test Matches Lost | Test Matches Drawn |
| Harmanpreet Kaur | 4 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| Mithali Raj | 3 | 8 | 1 | 4 |
| Anjum Chopra | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 |
| Shantha Rangaswamy | 1 | 12 | 2 | 9 |
In addition to this achievement, Harmanpreet holds the record for the most Women's T20I victories by an Indian captain (84), a world record. Overall, she has led India to 118 wins across all formats. While Mithali Raj has the most wins in Women's ODIs (89), Harmanpreet is in second place with 30 wins. Notably, she joins the ranks of Kapil Dev (1986), MS Dhoni (2014), and Virat Kohli (2021) as the only Indian captains to win a Test match at Lord's.
Harmanpreet's Joint-Second Place in Women's Test Captaincy
Currently, Harmanpreet shares the second-most wins among women's Test captains with Molly Hide and Alyssa Healy, with only Lyn Larsen (5) having more victories. Her tally of six wins as a player is also the joint-second highest. Furthermore, she boasts the best win percentage among captains who have led their teams in at least five Test matches, alongside Alyssa Healy. The Australian great also led her team in five matches, winning four, with her last victory occurring earlier this year against India at the WACA in Perth. This match marked Harmanpreet's only loss while captaining India in Test cricket. Harmanpreet first captained India in the longest format in 2023 during a Test against England at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai, where India triumphed by 347 runs. A week later, she led India to another victory over Australia at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, and in 2024, India secured a win against South Africa at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.