After an underwhelming effort within the T20Is, Harmanpreet Kaur-led India will now shift to a format by which they’ve an plain edge over England, and a seasoned spin assault can be their major weapon to keep up that benefit because the one-off girls’s Check between them will pan out over 4 days from Thursday. Historical past, an unavoidable a part of sport, gives a big slice of consolation to India as they’ve misplaced just one Check to England in 14 matches since their rivalry began in 1986 and Harmanpreet, who’s main India in Checks for the primary time, would need to preserve that proud report intact. Indian girls’s final look towards Heather Knight’s England had resulted in a draw at Bristol in June 2021. Mandhana made a first-innings 78 whereas a younger Shafali Verma was the top-performer with 96 and 63.
However the Check beginning on the morrow additionally has one other significance because it marks the arrival of a double bonanza for Indian girls’s cricket.
Given the dearth of Check cricket in girls’s circuit a perennial debate level, Indians wouldn’t be complaining as they’ve two Checks lined up within the span of 10 days.
After their project towards England on the DY Patil Stadium, Indians will face the indomitable Australians on the Wankhede Stadium from December 21-24 in a one-off Check.
India’s final look within the longest format was additionally towards the Aussies in September 2021. They drew that away Check in Carrara and Smriti Mandhana was the star of that sport with scores of 127 and 31.
Nevertheless, England have a newer expertise of taking part in Check cricket.
An exhilarating contest at Nottingham in June noticed England take the battle to the Australians driving on a sensational 208 within the first innings by Tammy Beaumont however the hosts couldn’t stop an 89-run loss.
India would need to add to that depend of defeats and they’re well-prepared too.
The house aspect has bolstered the spin assault, together with Bengal’s left-arm spinner Saika Ishaque, who has had a profitable 12 months up to now making her debut for Mumbai Indians and ending as one of many highest wicket-takers (15) within the Ladies’s Premier League (WPL).
For somebody who has the knack of taking wickets in heap whereas maintaining tight strains, Ishaque additionally made her T20I debut within the sequence towards England and took three wickets within the remaining sport to assist India register a comfort win.
Karnataka’s left-handed opening batter Shubha Satheesh can also be among the many new faces after impressing within the four-day follow matches in Bangalore in the course of the senior workforce’s camp.
Among the many batters, Jemimah Rodrigues and Harleen Deol are but to have an expertise of Check cricket whereas one-Check-old Yastika Bhatia may get the nod forward of Richa Ghosh for the wicket-keeper’s position.
India have seamer Renuka Singh Thakur return to the squad and given her exploits with the brand new ball within the latest T20Is, the workforce will hope for comparable returns. In spin, India have skilled campaigners in Sneh Rana and Deepti Sharma, which could preserve Ishaque ready within the wings.
For England, Emma Lamb was withdrawn owing to an harm with batter Maia Bouchier and Kirstie Gordon coming into the squad.
However the guests will hope for a productive outing from the skilled Nat Sciver-Brunt, Knight, Danni Wyatt, Kate Cross and Sophie Ecclestone.
The guests have an additional motivation going into the sport as it is going to be their a centesimal (accomplished) Check, provided that their solely win over India in14 Checks got here in 1995 at Jamshedpur, once they received by a slender margin of two runs.
Squads: India Ladies’s: Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Smriti Mandhana (vc), Jemimah Rodrigues, Shafali Verma, Deepti Sharma, Yastika Bhatia (wk), Richa Ghosh (wk), Sneh Rana, Shubha Satheesh, Harleen Deol, Saika Ishaque, Renuka Singh, Titas Sadhu, Meghna Singh, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Pooja Vastrakar.
England Ladies’s: Tammy Beaumont, Lauren Bell, Alice Capsey, Kate Cross, Charlie Dean, Sophia Dunkley, Sophie Ecclestone, Lauren Filer, Bess Heath (wk), Amy Jones (wk), Heather Knight (c), Emma Lamb, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Danielle Wyatt.
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