‘A day I will always cherish’: 50 years on, Shubhangi Kulkarni recalls playing in India’s first-ever women’s Test

FILE PHOTO: Shubhangi was one of India’s stars from that Test against the West Indies. With her leg-spin, she took five for 48 in the first innings, and two for 28 in the second. | Photo Credit: The Hindu Photo Library

Saturday marks a less remembered but a significant half-century for Indian sport.

It was on October 31 in 1976 that the first women’s Test between India and the West Indies got underway at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. In the 50 years since, India may have played only 42 Tests more, and that is an issue no doubt, but women’s cricket has changed beyond recognition, with teams across the world getting to play so many limited-overs games right through the year.

It was only on Wednesday that India played Zimbabwe in an ODI at Vadodara. On the same day at Kochi the WPL’s mini auction was held. A 15-year-old Uma Kashvi was picked up by Delhi Capitals for ₹10 lakh. G. Kamalini, three years older, was bought by Gujarat Giants for ₹40 lakh.

And watching the auction was Shubhangi Kulkarni, as a member of the BCCI Apex Council. There had been little money in women’s cricket till not so long ago.

Shubhangi was one of India’s stars from that Test against the West Indies. With her leg-spin, she took five for 48 in the first innings, and two for 28 in the second.

She also had a hand in the first two wickets the visiting side lost in the first essay. She 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.

ALSO READ | India vs Zimbabwe ODI series review: Here’s what Smriti Mandhana & Co learnt from its 3-0 sweep

“It was a dream beginning to my Test career, and a day I will always cherish,” Shubhangi told Sportstar. “Before the series, we had attended a coaching camp conducted by Lala Amarnath. I had learnt a few new tricks from him and from my coach, Kamal Bhandarkar, and was really looking forward to trying them out on the international stage.”

Those tactics worked. The match was drawn. As were the following two Tests at Chennai and New Delhi, but India won the fourth at Patna.

Shubhangi took seven wickets in India’s first-ever win in international women’s cricket. In a low-scoring match, the only fifty was scored by India’s wicketkeeper-opener Fowzieh Khalili, who made 58 in the first innings.

“What made the experience even more special was playing in front of a packed stadium,” recalls Shubhangi. “After the match, the crowd surrounded our bus and simply wouldn’t let it move!”

The women’s game, though, has moved on. And what a 50!

Published on Oct 31, 2026

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