India’s First Women’s Test: A Historic Match from 50 Years Ago
Shantha Rangaswamy led India against West Indies in Bengaluru on October 31, 1976.
India played its first official women’s Test match against West Indies at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on October 31, 1976. The match ended in a draw, and Shubhangi Kulkarni took five for 48 in the first innings.
Key takeaways
- India’s first official women’s Test began on October 31, 1976 in Bengaluru
- Shantha Rangaswamy captained India; Louise Browne led West Indies
- Shubhangi Kulkarni took five for 48 in West Indies’ first innings
- India declared at 269/6, with Rangaswamy scoring 74 and Shobha Pandit 69
- The match was drawn as India reached 30/1 chasing 181
India played its first official women’s Test match against West Indies at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on October 31, 1976, according to Mint. Shantha Rangaswamy captained India, while Louise Browne led the touring side.
Sportstar reported that the match was part of a six-Test series. The fixture was historic because it marked India’s debut in official women’s Test cricket, Mint noted. Women’s Tests were three-day affairs at the time, before switching to four days in 1985.
West Indies scored 274 in the first innings, with Gloria Gill making 53, Yolande Geddes-Hall 44 and Leila Williams 43. Mint reported that Shubhangi Kulkarni took five for 48 and Diana Edulji took two wickets.
Kulkarni also caught opener Gloria Gill at slip off the bowling of left-arm spinner Sharmila Chakraborty and played a part in the run out of Louise Browne, according to Sportstar and The Hindu. India replied with 269 for 6 declared.
Shobha Pandit scored 69 and Shantha Rangaswamy made 74, Mint said. Rangaswamy hit the first six by an Indian woman in international cricket, over long-on off Whittaker. West Indies declared their second innings at 175 for 7, setting India a target of 181, according to Mint.
India were 30 for 1 when stumps were drawn, forcing the game into a draw. Sportstar said the following two Tests at Chennai and New Delhi were also drawn, before India won the fourth at Patna. tv reported. Diana Edulji scored the winning runs.
Shubhangi Kulkarni took seven wickets in that victory, Sportstar and The Hindu reported. In that low-scoring match, the only fifty was scored by India’s wicketkeeper-opener Fowzieh Khalili, who made 58 in the first innings.
Since that debut match, India may have played only 42 Tests more, according to Sportstar and The Hindu. In that Test series between India and West Indies in 1976, four games ended in drawn encounters.
The series ended at 1-1 with India winning the fourth game in Patna by five wickets. West Indies secured an innings victory in the final game of the series to save the blushes, Mint stated.
The Women’s Cricket Association of India was merged with the Board of Control for Cricket in India in 2006 as part of the International Cricket Council’s initiative to develop women’s cricket, according to Wikipedia.
Unlike ODIs and T20Is, India still lack behind in red-ball cricket, with Test matches here and there. Before the series, the Indian team had attended a coaching camp conducted by Lala Amarnath.
Shubhangi Kulkarni said she had learnt a few new tricks from him and from her coach, Kamal Bhandarkar, and was really looking forward to trying them out on the international stage, according to Sportstar and The Hindu.
Kulkarni said it was a dream beginning to her Test career and a day she would always cherish.
She also recalled playing in front of a packed stadium, and said that after the match, the crowd surrounded the team bus and simply would not let it move, according to Sportstar and The Hindu.
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