Lord's finally opened its doors to women's Test cricket last Friday, 142 years after the ground hosted its first men's Test in 1884. A parade of some 50 former England players rang the five-minute bell, and portraits of pioneers were unveiled in the Long Room beforehand.
The occasion demanded a performance worthy of it, and India duly delivered one. Harmanpreet Kaur's side seized control during the opening session and never once surrendered it, outplaying the hosts comprehensively across every discipline over four sun-drenched days in St John's Wood.
The result also carried enormous weight for England. They have not beaten India in a women's Test since 1995, and the manner of this thrashing, arriving five days after their T20 World Cup final heartbreak at the very same venue, made for a brutal fortnight.
Add The Sporting News as a preferred news source