Match Preview India Women vs England Women, Only Test 2023،
Big picture – England women will play their 100th Test
After a gap of just two days since the third T20I, India and England are gearing up for a Test. Not just any other test. The first women's Test hosted by India since 2014. The first women's Test in India for England since 2005. The first for India after the retirements of Mithali Raj and Jhulan Goswami.
India trained for this like any other match, and the emphasis was on mixing attack and defense.
India said they did not want to be intimidated by the occasion of a Test match, a rare event for them. “Unlike T20s where every third or fourth ball is an aerial shot, that's the only thing we have to tell ourselves. If someone has aerial shots first, that's their way. How Shafali [Verma] “Bats and me are different and you can't expect both of us to bat in a particular mould,” Smriti Mandhana had said on Tuesday.
Harmanpreet Kaur alluded to it on the eve of the Test: “The best thing [head coach Amol Muzumdar] said, go for your best batting style and don't think about changing it because it's red ball cricket. If you are an aggressive hitter, play aggressively. If you like to build your sleeves, do it. Support yourself and your batting style, because we barely have time to change things at batting.”
The sun was beating down by the time England went out for afternoon training, and they had a method for going about their preparation. It's not often that women play Tests, but England have done it 99 times already and Navi Mumbai's match against India will be the 100th.
At the press conference, England captain Heather Knight did not reveal who Tammy Beaumont would partner at the top following Emma Lamb's injury.
The only aspect England have to choose is a middle-order place. The draw is likely between Sophia Dunkley and Alice Capsey, who also plays off spin. While Dunkley bowled with a bat at the nets, Capsey was seen taking high catches and also underwent intense drills on the field, before facing a combination of tosses and a net bowler.
While England will return home after this one-off Test, it is only the beginning for India, who are set to play back-to-back Test matches for the first time, with Australia next later this month.
In the spotlight – Harmanpreet Kaur and Nat Sciver-Brunt
Often in the recent past, Harmanpreet Kaur found herself at the center of the most crucial moments in Indian women's cricket. She was part of the first WPL match and also led Mumbai Indians to the title in the first iteration. His 171 not out in the 2017 ODI World Cup is part of folklore. She is just three Tests old and is all set to captain India in the one-off match for the first time in this format. It was easy to spot Harmanpreet two days before the match, in the group of Indian players training – she was the only one wearing the white Test track pants. During her batting stints, she focused on her footwork – consciously trying to bring the front foot forward against fast bowling to defend – and worked on judging line and length to leave balls. She played with the ball in the last Test India played at home; all eyes – around 40,000 people at least if participation is good – will once again be on her.
East Nat Sciver-Brunt never a threat? The DY Patil Stadium was one of the venues for the WPL 2023, where she finished second in the batting charts. She scored an unbeaten 169 against South Africa in the drawn Test at Taunton last year and 78 in the Ashes Test at Trent Bridge last June. On the eve of the match she struck briefly with Sophie Ecclestone and Charlie Dean playing in tandem and looked in good touch. Sciver-Brunt also showed glimpses of his importance with the ball during the T20Is against India. After injuring her knee during the Ashes, she played the Hundred and ODIs at home against Sri Lanka only as a batter. She started bowling towards the end of the WBBL and was able to take on a lesser workload with the ball in the Test.
Team News
“If we look at the field and decide the combination, it will be different but if we look at our strengths, it will be a different combination. I would like to use our strengths,” Harmanpreet said without giving any tilt to the bowling. combination that India is likely to field. Renuka Singh is returning from a stress injury but could be in contention for her Test debut. It is likely that India will participate with three seamers, as was the case in their last two Test outings in 2021.
India (possible): 1 Shafali Verma, 2 Smriti Mandhana, 3 Jemimah Rodrigues, 4 Harmanpreet Kaur (captain), 5 Yastika Bhatia, 6 Deepti Sharma, 7 Richa Ghosh/Pooja Vastrakar, 8 Sneh Rana, 9 Rajeshwari Gayakwad, 10 Renuka Singh, 11 Meghna Singh
With fly-half Lamb injured, England's main challenge will be who will partner Beaumont. Dunkley is an option given she is used to work in white-ball cricket, which could also mean a Test debut for Capsey. The other focal point will be that of the second seamer – between Lauren Filer, who impressed with her raw pace in the Ashes, and Lauren Bell.
England (possible): 1 Tammy Beaumont, 2 Sophia Dunkley, 3 Heather Knight (captain), 4 Nat Sciver-Brunt, 5 Alice Capsey, 6 Danni Wyatt, 7 Amy Jones (week), 8 Sophie Ecclestone, 9 Charlie Dean, 10 Kate Cross, 11 Lauren Filer/Lauren Bell
Location and conditions
On the eve of the test, the pitch had a brown appearance with very little grass on it. This is said to make spinning easier, but both captains said it would be slippery. “It may not spin more and it will be slippery even for the spinners,” said Harmanpreet with Knight almost agreeing: “Spin has slipped a little more. We practiced on the other pitch yesterday and it It was almost like a first day wicket where spin 'I slipped. I did a little with the ball, a little swing and a little pinch. “
The mornings in Mumbai and its suburbs were pleasant with the effect of the sun felt in the afternoon, when the temperature crossed the 30 degree Celsius mark. All four days should be similar in terms of weather.
Quotes
“Butterflies [in the stomach] are always there no matter how much you've played. There's always excitement and nervousness when you go to the floor. When you play a ball, you are totally involved in the game. I missed the last Test due to injury and this time I have the opportunity to lead the team. It was about being positive and playing with enthusiasm.”
Harmanpreet Kaur on leading India in a Test for the first time
“Anyone we choose to open with Tammy [Beaumont] has no experience of doing so in test match cricket and it's not an easy place to bat. Whoever takes on this role will be brand new. We're going to pick our top six batters who we think will get us the most runs to try and host the Test match. »
Captain of England Heather Knight keeps his cards close to his chest
