The historic first-ever women’s Test between India and England at Lord’s Cricket Ground was already set to be a landmark occasion. For India vice-captain Smriti Mandhana, however, the match carried even greater significance as she stepped onto the field for her 300th international appearance.
After England won the toss and opted to bowl first, Mandhana reflected on the milestone, admitting she could not have asked for a better venue to reach the landmark than the iconic Home of Cricket.
At 29 years and 357 days, Mandhana became the youngest woman in cricket history to complete 300 international appearances, surpassing South Africa’s Sune Luus (30 years, 163 days) and Australia’s Ellyse Perry (33 years, 65 days). She also became only the 12th woman to achieve the milestone in international cricket.
“I actually got to know 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 said in a pre-match interaction with the broadcasters.
Mandhana reflects on red-ball transition after T20 World Cup exit
Despite the personal milestone, Mandhana stressed the importance of moving forward after India’s disappointing T20 World Cup campaign, saying every match presents a fresh opportunity.
“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 get 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’re going to have good days and bad days, but we’ll always take it in stride and try to give our best for the country,” she said.
Mandhana also spoke about the challenge of switching from white-ball cricket to the red-ball format, revealing that her preparations were centred around returning to the basics and spending longer periods at the crease.
“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. Going back to Wormsley was great. I hadn’t been there since 2014, so it brought back old memories.
“For me, the 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 need to watch the ball carefully. Going back to basics is very important. The preparation was all about doing the basic things right and spending long periods at the crease.”