England Women and India Women will make history when they contest the first women's Test match ever staged at Lord's on Friday.
The landmark four-day contest comes just five days after the Home of Cricket hosted the T20 World Cup final, where England suffered a seven-wicket defeat to Australia in front of a record crowd of 28,887.
England must quickly recover from that disappointment, while India also have a point to prove after failing to progress beyond the group stage of that tournament.
Recent Test results suggest the tourists are better equipped to make the transition back to the longest format. India lost their most recent Test against Australia in March, but that was their first defeat in 10 matches stretching back to 2006.
England's record is considerably less impressive. They have won only one of their last 10 Tests and suffered an innings-and-122-run defeat against Australia in their most recent appearance in the format.
India also boast an outstanding record in this fixture. They have not lost a Test against England since 1995 and are unbeaten in all nine of their previous matches in this country.
With questions also surrounding the fitness of England captain Nat Sciver-Brunt, the tourists look capable of spoiling the hosts' historic occasion.
England Women v India Women Tips Summary
Best Bet - India to win @ 6/4
Alternative Bet - Sophie Ecclestone top England Bowler @ 15/8
Bet Builder - Smriti Mandhana Top First Innings Batter, Maia Bouchier Top England First Innings Batter, England Most Run Outs @ 60/1
England Women v India Women Lightning Prediction
Best Bet: India to win @ 6/4
India's excellent Test record makes the tourists an appealing option to claim victory at Lord's.
Harmanpreet Kaur's side had gone nine matches unbeaten before losing to Australia in March and have won three and drawn one of their last four Tests against England, including a dominant 347-run victory in December 2023.
India have never lost a Test in England, recording two victories and seven draws from nine previous visits, while the hosts have won only once in their last 10 matches in the format.
With England also potentially missing captain Sciver-Brunt, India are an attractive proposition for this match.
Alternative Bet: Sophie Ecclestone top England Bowler @ 15/8
Sophie Ecclestone is England's outstanding bowler and looks the likeliest candidate to finish as the hosts' leading wicket-taker.
The left-arm spinner has claimed 40 wickets across her last nine Tests and possesses the control and stamina required to bowl lengthy spells in the longest format.
India have plenty of quality players of spin, but Ecclestone's ability to remain a threat throughout an innings separates her from England's other bowling options.
Lauren Bell and Lauren Filer provide strong competition in the seam department, but Ecclestone's proven Test record and the recent heatwave affecting London point towards a successful Test match for the spinner.
England Women v India Women Bet Builder Tip
Smriti Mandhana Top First Innings Batter
Maia Bouchier Top England First Innings Batter
England Most Run Outs
Pays 60/1
Smriti Mandhana provides a strong foundation for this three-fold after averaging 48.85 across her last eight Tests.
The opener also has fond memories of playing Test cricket in England, having scored a half-century on debut as India secured a famous victory at Wormsley in 2014.
Maia Bouchier provides the value for England. The opener has played only two Tests but demonstrated her potential with a superb 126 against South Africa in December 2024.
Completing the treble is England to record the most run outs. Their fielding badly let them down during the Ashes in Australia, but recent improvements were evident throughout the T20 World Cup as they developed into a much tighter unit.
That progress can give England the edge over India when it comes to creating and converting run-out opportunities throughout the Test.
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Key Match Stats
This will be the first women's Test match ever played at Lord's
India have not lost a Test against England since 1995
India are unbeaten in all nine of their previous Tests in England, winning twice and drawing seven
India beat England by 347 runs when the teams last met in December 2023
England have won only one of their last 10 Test matches
Sophie Ecclestone has taken 40 wickets across her last nine Tests
Tactics, Form & Team News
England Women
Nat Sciver-Brunt is a major doubt after a calf injury forced her to miss several T20 World Cup matches. She declared herself fit for Sunday's final at Lord's but was visibly hampered when running between the wickets, putting her participation in doubt. Losing their captain would be an enormous blow to England.
This Test match will be Tammy Beaumont’s last England match, with the batter announcing her retirement from all formats of international cricket following the conclusion of this fixture.
Beaumont leaves the game a legendary figure in English Women’s cricket. She was the first English woman to hit a Test double-century and is one of only two women to have scored an international hundred in all three formats of the game.
England Women Test Squad: Nat Sciver-Brunt (c), Tammy Beaumont, Lauren Bell, Maia Bouchier, Alice Capsey, Tilly Corteen-Coleman, Sophie Ecclestone, Lauren Filer, Amy Jones (wk), Heather Knight, Emma Lamb, Grace Potts, Eleanor Threlkeld (wk), Mady Villiers, Issy Wong.
India Women
India have decisions to make at the top of their batting order, with Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Yastika Bhatia and Harleen Deol competing for places.
The tourists also have several seam options, while Sneh Rana and Deepti Sharma provide proven Test quality in the spin department.
India Women Test Squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Smriti Mandhana, Yastika Bhatia (wk), Harleen Deol, Kranti Gaud, Richa Ghosh (wk), Priya Punia, Sneh Rana, Renuka Singh, Jemimah Rodrigues, Sayali Satghare, Shafali Verma, Deepti Sharma, Nandani Sharma, Shree Charani.
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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
