Fifty years ago, society was curious and often sceptical about women playing a gruelling sport like cricket with a hard leather ball. Yet, on 31 October 1976, at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, 11 pioneers overcame the doubts and stepped onto the field to play India’s first-ever international Women’s Test match. Among them was a teenager from Pune with a leg-spinner’s guile: Ms Shubhangi Kulkarni. At just 17 years and 104 days old, she became the third-youngest debutant in Women’s Test history. As she gripped the ball that morning, she was ready to embark on a 15-year international career that would help reshape the sport.

For the trailblazers of 1976, taking the international stage was a monumental leap into the unknown. “All of us were very excited,” Ms Kulkarni recalled in an interview with BCCI.tv.

“We were all very young, mostly college-going girls around 17 or 18 years old. We were just getting exposed to international competition, and all of us were thrilled to be playing international matches.”

Preparation for this defining moment took place under the guidance of an Indian cricket legend.

“We had a camp before the series with Lala Amarnath, and then we played the West Indies team, which was known for having good fast bowlers. We thought our spinners were very good, and we were really looking forward to the competition.”

Facing a formidable West Indies side, the young leg-spinner immediately made her mark. Using sharp flight and turn, Ms Kulkarni claimed five wickets for 48 runs.

“The first Test match was very memorable for me because I got five wickets. It was the first time I was bowling to international cricketers. I had just learned a few tricks and was trying them out.”

She finished the match with figures of 7 for 76, a performance that ranks among the notable bowling efforts on a Women’s Test debut.

The turning point for the sport came weeks later, during the fourth Test at Patna’s Moin-ul-Haq Stadium. India secured their first-ever Test victory, with Ms Kulkarni once again proving her effectiveness with the ball, taking 3 for 43 and 4 for 14. She finished the series with 23 wickets, a tally that remains a joint record for the most wickets in a Women’s Test series.

“The kind of response we got from the crowd was something we had never anticipated,” Ms Kulkarni recalled, referring to the massive crowd of around 30,000 that turned up at the venue.

“After we won, the crowd response was so overwhelming that it took us a long time to get back to the hotel because the crowds wouldn't allow the bus to move. We kept signing autographs.”

Yet, the adulation in Patna stood in stark contrast to the daily reality the players faced back home. They still had to fight for basic acceptance.

“Initially, people came out of curiosity just to see us play. But once they started watching, they appreciated our skills and realised that girls could play cricket too. It took people a lot of time to accept us playing the sport.”

The roadblocks often began in their own homes.

“The biggest challenge for most girls was getting permission from home to play cricket. Parents were worried about the hard ball causing injuries, or that playing for long hours in the sun would make the girls dark.”

Logistically, they relied on sheer determination to keep going.

“Another major challenge was funding. We had to spend money from our own pockets to travel for domestic events, often paying our own train fares. We stayed in dormitories and travelled in unreserved or second-class train compartments, sometimes carrying our own food to save money.”

Ms Kulkarni played 17 consecutive Tests for India without missing a match, placing her seventh globally for longevity in the format. She bowled a remarkable 3,329 deliveries across her Test career, ranking ninth in the all-time world list. Her deceptive leg-spin also accounted for 16 stumpings, the second-highest tally in Women’s Test history. She finished her Test career with 60 wickets and five five-wicket hauls, a joint world record. Her excellence extended to white-ball cricket, where she claimed 38 ODI wickets, with a career strike rate of 30.2 and an economy rate of 3.49.

One of her defining batting performances came in 1986, during her captaincy debut against England at Collingham. With India struggling at 105 for 5, she engineered a recovery alongside Minoti Desai. The pair forged a 106-run partnership for the eighth wicket, the fifth-highest eighth-wicket partnership in Women’s Test history. Ms Kulkarni scored a career-best 118 to help India reach 323.

While her on-field exploits earned her the Arjuna Award in 1985, her vision off the field helped shape the sport’s future. As the Honorary Secretary of the Women’s Cricket Association of India (WCAI), Ms Kulkarni played a key role in the historic merger of the WCAI with the BCCI in 2006, transforming the financial landscape for women cricketers.

Looking at the game today, she feels a profound sense of validation.

“Those were challenging times. But looking back at where we are today, it gives us a sense of satisfaction that what we did in the beginning has borne fruit.”

She is quick to acknowledge the significant improvements in infrastructure and support introduced by the Board, noting how the efforts of former BCCI Honorary Secretary and current ICC Chairman Mr Jay Shah, along with the current administration, have accelerated the sport’s growth.

“The facilities that the BCCI is providing to women cricketers are excellent now. If you compare it to our time, when we played on college grounds, club grounds, and uneven surfaces, today these girls are playing on top-class grounds, which significantly improves fielding and overall play.”

“The facilities provided, such as state teams staying in four-star or five-star hotels and travelling by air, are a stark contrast to our struggles. The equal match fees and the central contracts that the girls are getting allow them to focus entirely on their game without worrying about finances. They are well-provided for, and the BCCI's support has completely transformed the sport.”

Furthermore, the advent of franchise cricket has helped bridge the gap between domestic and international standards.

“The most significant change has been the introduction of the Women’s Premier League (WPL), which has opened up numerous opportunities for domestic players to play alongside international stars and learn from them in the dressing room,” she noted.

When India’s women lifted the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup trophy on 2 November 2025, it marked the culmination of a journey that began with the pioneers of 1976.

“It was a dream come true for most of us former players because winning a World Cup is something we all wanted. Seeing this team achieve it gave me immense satisfaction,” she said.

The wait for a World Cup title had spanned generations and seeing Harmanpreet Kaur’s side finally lift the trophy was deeply cathartic.

“The team performed exceptionally well; they gave their 100% and never gave up. There were challenges, but they overcame them, making it a total team effort. The way they played, hats off to Harmanpreet and the entire team.”

The current generation frequently acknowledges the pioneers who laid the foundation for their success, a gesture Ms Kulkarni deeply appreciates.

“It is very nice of the current players to appreciate and recognise the efforts of the earlier players. During our time, we played for the love and passion of the game. It felt like they truly valued all of that, and I am really proud that the team felt that way.”

Yet, on this golden anniversary, Ms Kulkarni insists that the spotlight must also be on the founders of women’s cricket in India: Mr Mahendra Kumar Sharma, Mrs Pramila Bai Chavan and Mrs Chandra Tripathi.

“In 1973, when the organisation was formed and Mr Sharma registered it, he actually gave the girls a platform to play a sport and turn what had been a hobby into a national sport,” she emphasised.

As the game enters its next half-century, Ms Kulkarni’s focus remains firmly on the next generation.

This era of on-field excellence is now matched by India's immense logistical and commercial capability, recently underscored by the ICC's decision to award India the hosting rights for the inaugural Women’s Champions Trophy in February 2027.

"I think the timing is absolutely right for hosting the first-ever Women's Champions Trophy," Ms. Kulkarni stated, acknowledging the rapid expansion of the game.

"After winning the World Cup last year and then the match at Lord's, I think we have the momentum, and this is the fastest-growing sport in India. With all the fans following, with the infrastructure, with whatever support we've been getting from BCCI and our experience, I think it's most appropriate that we have the inaugural edition in India. And I think it's a great initiative by ICC to start this tournament."

- By Meeth Agrawal