India, July 19 -- No doubt, the journey towards genuinely equal opportunities for women in sport has some way yet to go, both in England and in India. But the real progress made in recent years cannot be denied.

I recently had the privilege to attend the first ever women's test match to take place at Lord's. Many would say this historic first at the iconic cricket ground in St John's Wood is long overdue. After all, women have been playing international cricket, including test matches, for decades.

This game between India and England at the home of cricket is a manifestation of greatly increased interest in women's sport. On day two, the audience reached a record level of 15,243, beating the previous high for a women's test match of 11,...