New Delhi, July 10 -- LONDON - Three Indian wickets tumbled inside the afternoon session on Thursday as England pressed hard from the first hour of the inaugural women's Test at Lord's, turning what was already a historic day into something that felt like a contest long before stumps.

England captain Nat Sciver-Brunt won the toss and elected to field under bright skies, trusting her pace attack to exploit morning moisture in the Lord's surface. The decision paid off sooner than expected. India's top order, which had arrived on the back of a formidable home record, struggled with the slope and sideways movement, with three of their established batters back in the pavilion before the hosts could finish their mid-session break.

Lord's, ope...