3 Nov 2025
The team played its first test match in 1976 against West Indies.
Shantha Rangaswamy led India in the 1976 World Cup held in Bangalore. She became the first woman to lead India in Test and ODI and win the Arjuna Award in 1976.
India reached the Women’s Cricket World Cup Final in 2005 for the first time and then in 2017. Mithali Raj led the team both the times.
The Women’s Cricket Association of India managed the team until BCCI took charge in 2006.
India won their first T20 International in 2006 defeating England a few months after the format was introduced.
Deepti Sharma and Poonam Raut’s 320 runs against Ireland in 2017 stays the highest opening partnership in women’s ODIs. Deepti holds the record for one of the highest individual scores in women’s ODIs at 188.
The launch of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) in 2023 boosted visibility, pay and opportunities for female cricketers.
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