(Cricket News) Two days have passed since the third Twenty20 International, and now India and England are preparing for a Test match. This is not just any Test, though; it is the first women’s Test that India has hosted since 2014, the first women’s Test that India has hosted for England since 2005, and the first Test for India following the retirements of Mithali Raj and Jhulan Goswami. India was preparing for this match like they would any other, with an emphasis on combining attack and defence.
“Unlike T20s where every third or fourth ball is an aerial shot, that is the only thing we have to tell ourselves. If someone has aerial shots as their first, that is their way. How Shafali [Verma] bats and I bat is different and you cannot expect both of us to bat in a particular mould,” Smriti Mandhana had stated on Tuesday. India has insisted that they do not want to be overawed by the occasion of a Test match, which is rare for them.
“Go with your best batting style and do not think about changing it because it is red-ball cricket,” Harmanpreet Kaur hinted on the eve of the Test. “If you are an aggressive batter, play aggressively. If you like to build your innings, then do that. Back yourself and your batting style, because we hardly have time to change things in batting,” Kaur said.
It is not often that the women play Tests, but England has played 99 of them already, and the match against India in Navi Mumbai will be their 100th. During the press conference, England captain Heather Knight did not disclose who would partner Tammy Beaumont at the top following Emma Lamb’s injury. Despite the intense heat, the team had a methodical approach to their preparation.
All England needs to decide on is a middle-order position, which will probably come down to a toss-up between off spin bowler Sophia Dunkley and off spin bowler Alice Capsey. Dunkley was seen batting at the nets, but Capsey was also seen taking high catches and going through some intense fielding drills before facing a combination of throwdowns and a net bowler. This one-off Test match is just the beginning for India, who will play two Test matches in a row later this month.
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