Yastika Bhatia Becomes First Woman to Score Lord's Test Century

By: Women Entrepreneurs Review Team | Monday, 13 July 2026

India's Yastika Bhatia has made history by becoming the first woman to score a Test century at Lord's Cricket Ground, producing a brilliant innings of 113 against England in the one-off Test. The milestone knock earned her a place on the prestigious Lord's honours board while marking her maiden international century and highest score across all formats. The achievement came just six months after recovering from anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) surgery, making the innings one of the most significant moments of her career.

Key Highlights

• Yastika Bhatia becomes the first woman to score a Test century at Lord's
• The wicketkeeper-batter struck a career-best 113 against England
• India set England a daunting 457-run target in the one-off Test

Resuming Day Three unbeaten on 39, the left-handed batter displayed composure and patience throughout her innings. She reached her century in 145 deliveries with a boundary through deep extra cover before eventually being dismissed for 113 off 158 balls by England spinner Sophie Ecclestone. Her innings included 14 boundaries and played a crucial role in strengthening India's position in the match.

Yastika's century also placed her among an elite group of 13 Indian batters to have scored Test hundreds at Lord's. She joined distinguished names such as Vinoo Mankad, Dilip Vengsarkar, Mohammad Azharuddin, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, KL Rahul, and Ajinkya Rahane. More importantly, she became the first woman to achieve the feat since women's Test cricket began at the iconic London venue.

The landmark innings represented a remarkable comeback after a lengthy rehabilitation from a serious knee injury. Following ACL surgery on her left knee earlier this year, Yastika spent months rebuilding her strength and fitness before returning to international cricket. Alongside her batting responsibilities, she also kept wicket throughout the Test in challenging weather conditions at Lord's.

Speaking after the match, Yastika described the achievement as "unbelievable", admitting that six months earlier she could not have imagined earning a place on the Lord's honours board. She explained that her rehabilitation required retraining every muscle around her injured knee and acknowledged the frustration of missing major tournaments during her recovery. She added that returning to wicketkeeping practice helped her rediscover her love for cricket and gave her renewed confidence.

Yastika also credited teammate Smriti Mandhana for encouraging her recovery. Having overcome a similar ACL injury herself, Smriti reassured Yastika that the setback could become a turning point in her career and urged her to continue working hard.

India's second innings was further strengthened by Smriti, who scored 70 after contributing 83 in the first innings, while Richa Ghosh remained unbeaten with a half-century. India eventually declared on 341/7, setting England a challenging target of 457.

The Test also proved memorable for Indian women's cricket as fast bowler Kranti Gaud became the first woman to feature on the Lord's honours board after claiming figures of 5/37 in England's first innings. England spinner Sophie Ecclestone also secured a place on the honours board with a five-wicket haul.

By the close of Day Three, England had slipped to 130/6 in pursuit of 457, leaving India in a commanding position as they closed in on a historic victory at the Home of Cricket.