India prepared for uncommon dwelling Take a look at in England's particular a hundredth

Large image – England Girls to play their a hundredth Take a look at

After a turnaround of simply two days from the third T20I, India and England gear up for a Take a look at. Not simply another Take a look at. The primary girls’s Take a look at hosted by India since 2014. The primary girls’s Take a look at in India for England since 2005. The primary for India after the retirements of Mithali Raj and Jhulan Goswami.

India had been coaching for it like they do for another sport, and the main target was on mixing assault with defence.

India have maintained that they do not need to be overawed by the event of a Take a look at match, a uncommon prevalence for them. “In contrast to T20s the place each third or fourth ball is aerial shot, that’s the solely factor we’ve to inform ourselves. If somebody has aerial photographs as their first, that’s their approach. How Shafali [Verma] bats and I bat is completely different and you’ll’t anticipate each of us to bat in a selected mould,” Smriti Mandhana had mentioned on Tuesday.

Harmanpreet Kaur alluded to it on the eve of the Take a look at: “The very best factor [head coach Amol Muzumdar] mentioned was, go together with your finest batting model and do not take into consideration altering it as a result of it’s red-ball cricket. If you’re an aggressive batter, play aggressively. In the event you wish to construct your innings, then do this. Again your self and your batting model, as a result of we hardly have time to vary issues in batting.”

The solar was beating down by the point England walked out to coach within the afternoon, and so they had a way to how they went about with their preparation. It’s not typically that the ladies play Checks, however England have performed it 99 occasions already and the Navi Mumbai sport in opposition to India will probably be their a hundredth.

Within the press convention, England captain Heather Knight didn’t reveal who would companion Tammy Beaumont on the high, after Emma Lamb’s damage.

The one facet England have to decide on is one middle-order spot. The toss-up is probably going between Sophia Dunkley and Alice Capsey, who additionally bowls offspin. Whereas Dunkley was having a bat on the nets, Capsey was seen taking excessive catches and underwent some intense fielding drills, too, earlier than going through a mixture of throwdowns and a web bowler.

Whereas England will head again dwelling after this one-off Take a look at, it’s simply the beginning for India, who’re to play back-to-back Take a look at matches for the primary time, with Australia up subsequent later this month.

Within the highlight – Harmanpreet Kaur and Nat Sciver-Brunt

Usually within the latest previous, Harmanpreet Kaur has discovered herself on the centre of probably the most essential moments of Indian girls’s cricket. She was a part of the primary WPL match and likewise led Mumbai Indians to the title within the first iteration. Her 171 not out within the 2017 ODI World Cup is a part of folklore. She is simply three Checks outdated and is all set to captain India within the one-off match for the primary time within the format. It was simple to identify Harmanpreet two days out of the sport, within the group of Indian gamers coaching – she was the one one with the Take a look at white trackpants. Throughout her batting stints, she was specializing in her footwork – consciously making an attempt to get the front-foot ahead in opposition to quick bowling to defend – and labored on judging the road and size to go away balls. She starred with the ball within the final Take a look at India performed at dwelling; all eyes – round 40,000 no much less if the turnout is nice – will probably be on her but once more.

Is Nat Sciver-Brunt ever not a risk? The DY Patil Stadium was one of many venues of WPL 2023, the place she completed second on the batting charts. She scored an unbeaten 169 in opposition to South Africa within the drawn Taunton Take a look at final yr and 78 within the Ashes Take a look at at Trent Bridge this June. On the eve of the match, she batted a short time with each Sophie Ecclestone and Charlie Dean bowling in tandem and appeared in good contact. Sciver-Brunt additionally confirmed a glimpse of her significance with the ball within the T20Is in opposition to India. After selecting up a knee damage through the Ashes, she performed the Hundred and the house ODIs in opposition to Sri Lanka purely as a batter. She began bowling in the direction of the top of the WBBL and will tackle a lesser workload with the ball within the Take a look at.

Crew information

“If we take a look at the pitch and determine the mix, it is going to be completely different but when we take a look at our strengths, it is going to be a distinct mixture. I want to go together with our strengths,” Harmanpreet mentioned with out giving an inclination to the bowling mixture India are prone to area. Renuka Singh is getting back from a stress damage however might be in line for a Take a look at debut. It’s seemingly India will go in with three seamers, like was the case of their final two Take a look at outings in 2021.

India (doable): 1 Shafali Verma, 2 Smriti Mandhana, 3 Jemimah Rodrigues, 4 Harmanpreet Kaur (capt), 5 Yastika Bhatia, 6 Deepti Sharma, 7 Richa Ghosh/Pooja Vastrakar, 8 Sneh Rana, 9 Rajeshwari Gayakwad, 10 Renuka Singh, 11 Meghna Singh

With opener Lamb out injured, England’s most important problem will probably be round who companions Beaumont. Dunkley is an possibility given she is used to the job in white-ball cricket, which might additionally imply a Take a look at debut for Capsey. The opposite spot in focus would be the second seamer’s – between Lauren Filer, who impressed together with her uncooked tempo within the Ashes, and Lauren Bell.

England (doable): 1 Tammy Beaumont, 2 Sophia Dunkley, 3 Heather Knight (capt), 4 Nat Sciver-Brunt, 5 Alice Capsey, 6 Danni Wyatt, 7 Amy Jones (wk), 8 Sophie Ecclestone, 9 Charlie Dean, 10 Kate Cross, 11 Lauren Filer/Lauren Bell

Pitch and circumstances

On the eve of the Take a look at, the pitch wore a brown look with little or no grass on it. The phrase is that it’ll assist spin however each the captains mentioned it will be skiddy. “It may not flip extra and will probably be skiddy even for the spinners,” Harmanpreet mentioned with Knight nearly agreeing: “Spin has skidded on a bit extra. We skilled on the opposite floor yesterday and it was nearly like a day one wicket the place spin skidded on. Did a little bit bit with the ball, a little bit little bit of swing and a little bit of nip.”

Mornings in Mumbai and its suburbs have been nice with the impact of the solar felt within the afternoon, when the temperature crosses the 30-degree-celcius mark. All 4 days are anticipated to be comparable weather-wise.

Quotes

“Butterlies [in the stomach] are all the time there, irrespective of how a lot you have got performed. There may be all the time pleasure and nervousness whenever you go to the bottom. While you play one ball, you get completely concerned within the sport. Final Take a look at I missed due to damage and this time there is a chance to guide the workforce. The speak has been about being constructive and enjoying with pleasure.”
Harmanpreet Kaur on main India in a Take a look at for the primary time

“Any particular person we select to open with Tammy [Beaumont] has no expertise of doing it in Take a look at match cricket and it is not a straightforward place to bat. Whoever does that position goes to be model new. We’re going to choose our greatest six batters that we’re going to assume are going to attain us probably the most runs to try to arrange the Take a look at match.”
England captain Heather Knight retains her playing cards near her chest

S Sudarshanan is a sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo