The first women’s Test: when Shantha Rangaswamy’s six made history before 22,000 fans

Bengaluru: October 31, 2026, occupies a special place in the story of Indian women’s cricket. At the KSCA Stadium, later renamed the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in 2026, India played its first official women’s Test against West Indies. The opener of a six-Test series was a three-day match and ended in a draw, but the occasion itself marked a new beginning. Women’s cricket in India was still finding its feet. The first national championship had been held only in April 2026, and teams were still playing two- and three-day red-ball matches. An Australian side had toured India in 2026, and India had travelled to New Zealand for a five-match ‘Test series’ that was later deemed unofficial. The first women’s Test, between Australia and England, had been played in Brisbane in 2026. India had to wait another 42 years for its official debut. Louise Browne led the visiting West Indies side, while Shantha Rangaswamy captained India. The hosts had players such as Diana Edulji, Shubhangi Kulkarni and Ujwala Nikam in their ranks. One section of the stadium was under renovation, but the remaining stands were packed, with more than 22,000 spectators turning up. Among those in the ground was former India wicketkeeper Kalpana Venkatachar, then a Karnataka age-group cricketer. She was part of a group of young women cricketers who volunteered at the match, handing out scorecards to spectators. In those days, spectators also did the scoring. They watched, tracked and recorded every ball and run in a booklet provided to them. Kalpana recalled, “Our job was to hand out these booklets. The excitement was infectious and the crowd was boisterous.” West Indies, who batted first, were bowled out for 274 in 78.4 overs. Shubhangi, one of India’s finest spinners, returned figures of 5/48, while Diana picked up two wickets. Gloria Gill made 53, Yolande Geddes-Hall 44, Leila Williams 43, Patricia Whittaker 32 and Louise Browne 28. India’s reply produced two memorable knocks. Opener Shobha Pandit scored 69, but it was skipper Shantha’s gritty 74 that stole the show. Fowzieh Khalili contributed 39. Shantha’s innings also featured a landmark moment: a six over long-on off Patricia Whittaker, the first maximum by an Indian woman in international cricket and the first at the stadium. The stand where the ball landed has since been named after Shantha. She remembers the innings as an attempt to inject a modern-day T20 flavour into a game that was still played over three days. “With the matches being held over three days, most of them would end in draws. But I wanted to make it interesting and score some quick runs, like they do in T20 cricket now,” she said. India were 269/6 overnight after 99 overs and were looking to add to their total on the final morning. But an unexpected turn of events prompted Shantha to declare. “We came out to bat on the final day only to see wet patches on the pitch. This drew suspicion from the visiting side and the start was delayed. So, I declared in the hope that we could bowl them out,” she recalled. West Indies declared their second innings at 175/7, setting India a target of 181. Leila Williams made 56 and Patricia 29. Sharmila Chakraborty took 2/32 and Shubhangi 2/28. The hosts finished on 30/1 at stumps as the historic contest ended in a draw. For Kalpana and the other youngsters watching from the stands, however, the result was secondary. The sight of Shantha clearing the ropes had left a lasting impression. “Watching Shantha score a six made us believe that we could go the distance too,” she said. Indian women have played 42 more Tests in the five decades since that landmark outing. But the first, played in front of a packed crowd, remains special. The series ended in a 1-1 draw with four drawn contests. Brief scores: West Indies 274 in 78.4 overs and 175/7 declared in 64.5 overs; India 269/6 declared in 99 overs and 30/1 in 17 overs. Match drawn.