India’s historic one-off women’s Test victory over England at Lord’s Cricket Ground, which concluded on Monday, has revived memories of a time when Indian women cricketers struggled for recognition.
Lucknow-based social worker and author of Mahila Cricket Ki Kahani, Vandana Mishra, said the win marks a full-circle moment, recalling how the then-India captain Diana Edulji was allegedly denied entry to the Lord’s pavilion during the 1987 England tour.
Speaking to Hindustan Times, Mishra recalled that Edulji, who was leading India on the England tour, was allegedly not allowed to enter the pavilion at Lord’s. “A furious Diana then said that the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) should be renamed as Male Chauvinist Pig (MCP),” she said. The incident has been documented in her book, which was released earlier this year at the World Book Fair in New Delhi.
Mishra described India’s latest victory at the Home of Cricket as a landmark moment for the women’s game. She said the performance became even more memorable with Kranti Gaud registering the first five-wicket haul by an Indian woman in a Test at Lord’s and Yastika Bhatia becoming the first Indian woman to score a Test century at the iconic venue. “We are so proud of our girls,” the author added, reflecting on the significance of the recent match in the context of her research.
{{/usCountry}}Mishra described India’s latest victory at the Home of Cricket as a landmark moment for the women’s game. She said the performance became even more memorable with Kranti Gaud registering the first five-wicket haul by an Indian woman in a Test at Lord’s and Yastika Bhatia becoming the first Indian woman to score a Test century at the iconic venue. “We are so proud of our girls,” the author added, reflecting on the significance of the recent match in the context of her research.
{{/usCountry}}The author said her journey to document the history of Indian women’s cricket began in 2007 after Jhulan Goswami was named the ICC Cricketer of the Year but received little public recognition in India. “That made me start working on the book,” Mishra said, adding that the project took nearly two decades of research.
“Last year’s World Cup victory and now this feat, Indian women’s cricketers are shining,” she added.
Released earlier this year, the book traces the evolution of Indian women’s cricket through rare records, statistics, landmark events and the journeys of some of the country’s most accomplished women cricketers. It also documents the challenges, discrimination and hardships players endured before the sport gained wider recognition in India.