India Women final performed a Test on residence soil in 2014. This was in Mysore in opposition to a South African aspect led by Mignon du Preez. The Mithali Raj led-Indian aspect opted to bat and wanted to do it simply as soon as, forcing the Proteas to comply with on and finally bowling them out to seal a memorable win by an innings and 34 runs.
“We tied that match right,” Smriti Mandhana, the present Indian vice captain stated, as she tried to recollect the main points. One of the reporters within the press convention room corrected her. “Please cut this part,” she stated sheepishly.
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That was the one element she received unsuitable. Her first recollection of the sport was watching some unimaginable batting, however from the bench after falling for eight runs.
The Indian crew after beating South Africa in a Test match in Mysore in 2014.
The Indian crew after beating South Africa in a Test match in Mysore in 2014.
“My memory of that game was watching Thirushkamini and Punam Raut play 1.5 days of cricket from the outside. Brilliant innings by both of them (a partnership of 275 for the second wicket) and I think Harmanpreet (Kaur) was bowling a lot more then (she took nine wickets in this game) ,” Mandhana stated, two days earlier than India’s one-off Test in opposition to England in Navi Mumbai.
“We really enjoyed going out there and playing a Test on home soil. We now play two Tests in 15 days. At least from the time I’ve been part of the team, that’s never happened. So great signs,” the India opener added.
Mandhana is among the many few ‘senior’ gamers within the format having performed 4 Tests, a undeniable fact that left her amused. However, she fortunately notes how a lot occasions have modified for the ladies’s recreation within the course of forward of the four-day recreation in opposition to England.
“Lot of things have changed for women’s cricket since Mysore in 2014, especially since 2017 (when India finished as runner-up in the ODI World Cup in England). We’ve been able to see that recently with the crowds that came to watch us during the T20Is at the Wankhede Stadium. The support we’re getting has changed and of course things like pay equality also. So women’s cricket is on the rise. More than all that, we’re really excited to wear whites again on home soil and go out there and represent India in whites. That’s a different feeling altogether,” she stated.
Test matches within the girls’s recreation are presently an incidence solely between India, England and Australia. The BBC famous that between 2000 and June of 2021, solely 30 Women’s Tests have been performed (males performed 942) and 14 of them have been Ashes encounters between England and Australia. India not too long ago performed two Tests, one every in opposition to England (in Bristol), and Australia ( a pink ball Test in Perth). Even the home calendar within the cricket-crazy Indian subcontinent doesn’t have house for the purple ball variant within the girls’s fold.
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“To be fair, the domestic structure was formed based on one-day and T20 because those are the World Cups that are frequent at the international level. I’ve just played four Tests in 10 odd years of international cricket. Maybe we’ll see a new tournament at the domestic level. But the domestic scene will change itself according to what the international demands are,” Mandhana defined.
India heads into the Test after a 1-2 loss within the T20I sequence in opposition to Heather Knight’s ladies, in performances that uncovered a variety of chinks within the Indian batting effort. Mandhana, nevertheless , is focussing on the win India secured within the last T20I.
“There are a lot of takeaways. It was a pretty young team. We had a lot of learnings. Lot of notes on how to apply ourselves. They’d won the series but we knew it was important to win the last T20I because we would get some momentum going into the Tests and we managed to do that. That gives the dressing room a lot of confidence. I don’t think we have to stress too much on that. It’s a different format,” she stated.
The Indian aspect obtained their Test whites on Tuesday and Mandhana wore a giant smile on her face as she recalled the thrill of the aspect.
“We got our whites today and there was a lot of excitement when some of the youngsters got their kits. I hope they channel those emotions in a way that’s productive for the team. That’s the only message the seniors and staff have for the side,” she identified.
Heading the Indian assist employees is home veteran Amol Muzumdar, the brand new India head coach. Muzumdar was a part of eight Ranji Trophy title triumphs in his sixteen seasons with Mumbai and has greater than 11,000 First Class runs to his identify. Mandhana acknowledged the benefit of getting such expertise within the tank when coping with a format the aspect doesn’t play as typically.
The Indian crew in the course of the T20I sequence in opposition to England in Mumbai
The Indian crew in the course of the T20I sequence in opposition to England in Mumbai
“Whoever comes in, youngsters, potential debutants or those playing their second Test or so, it’s just about guiding them a bit. We have a very experienced coach in Amol sir who has played so much Ranji cricket and red ball cricket and a lot of girls have been approaching him to know his mindset during certain periods of play. It’s all about applying ourselves on the wicket,” she added.
The Indian crew did have a while to coach with the purple ball in Bengaluru, the place they went up in opposition to the India A aspect in a apply recreation.
“We had one practice match with the India A team. I had sit that one out due to a physical issue. Four days in Bengaluru. That was a good prep to get the girls into the habit of playing Test match cricket. This was a few days before the Zonals began. So there was a fair switch between white and red ball training. If you mentally prepare yourself, I don’t think it’s a big change because it’s just about applying yourself. There’s no question of changing technique. It’s just about patience more than anything and playing to demand of that phase of play. These two days before the game are going to be crucial for us,” she stated.
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In the long-term, Mandhana echoed former India captain Mithali Raj’s name for a World Test Championship within the girls’s recreation.
“I would love to be a part of a World Test Championship. Having watched a lot of men’s Test cricket and men’s WTC, it would be really exciting to be a part of that, but that’s something for the ICC to take a call on,” she stated.
India takes on England in the one Test from December 14-17 on the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai.
Source web site: sportstar.thehindu.com
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