India's first women's Test 50 years ago: 22,000 fans, Shantha Rangaswamy's historic six and a landmark draw against West Indies

BENGALURU: Women’s cricket in India has had its share of twists and turns. Its journey into Test cricket was no different. Although cricket had been introduced in the country much earlier, the first women’s national championship was held only in April 1973. The game was still finding its feet, with teams playing two and three-day red-ball matches. An Australian team toured India in 1975, and in February the following year, India travelled to New Zealand for a five-match ‘Test series’, which was subsequently deemed unofficial.The first women’s Test, between Australia and England, had been played in Brisbane in 1934. India had to wait another 42 years to make its official debut. That moment unfolded at the KSCA Stadium (renamed the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in 1987), when India hosted West Indies in the first of a six-Test series in October 1976.Led by Louise Browne, the visiting side took on Shantha Rangaswamy’s India in a three-day contest that began on October 31. For the women cricketers, it was a landmark moment.Recalling the occasion, Shantha said: “We had already played a couple of series against Australia and New Zealand, which were later deemed unofficial. So, we weren’t sure until later whether this match would count as an official one.”With one section of the stadium under renovation, the remaining stands were packed, with more than 22,000 spectators turning up. India’s line-up featured some of the rising stars of the game, including Diana Edulji, Shubhangi Kulkarni and Ujwala Nikam.Among those soaking in the atmosphere was former Indian 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.“Back in the day, spectators also did the scoring. They watched, tracked and recorded every ball and run in a booklet provided to them. Our job was to hand out these booklets. The excitement was infectious and the crowd was boisterous,” Kalpana recalled.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.India’s reply produced two memorable knocks. Opener Shobha Pandit scored 69, but it was skipper Shantha’s gritty 74 that stole the show. Her 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.”West Indies declared their second innings at 175/7, setting India a target of 181. 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.Indian team: Sandhya Mazumdar, Shobha Pandit, Fowzieh Khalili, Sudha Shah, Shantha Rangaswamy, Ujwala Nikam, Shubhangi Kulkarni, Susan Itticheria, Diana Edulji, Sharmila Chakraborty, Behroze Edulji.Brief scores: West Indies: 274 in 78.4 overs (Louise Browne 28, Gloria Gill 53, Patricia Whittaker 32, Yolande Geddes-Hall 44, Leila Williams 43; Diana Edulji 2-48, Shubhangi Kulkarni 5-48) and 175/7 declared in 64.5 overs (Patricia 29, Leila 56; Sharmila Chakraborty 2-32, Shubhangi 2-28) drew with India: 269/6 declared in 99 overs (Shobha Pandit 69, Fowzieh Khalili 39, Shantha Rangaswamy 74, Shubhangi 26 not out; Leila Williams 2-50, Vivalyn Latty-Scott 3-51) and 30/1 in 17 overs.Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.