In a historic face-off, India and England are gearing up for a one-off women’s Test at the DY Patil Stadium on Thursday, marking the return of red-ball cricket to India since 2014. The last encounter between these teams in the format took place at Bristol in 2021, ending in a draw.
Former captain Anjum Chopra shares insights on the upcoming Test, acknowledging India’s home advantage but pointing out England’s familiarity with red-ball cricket. Anjum Chopra notes, “India have a chance mainly because they are playing at home. But, I feel the conditions will favour England since their Test players were practicing at the city’s gymkhanas when the white-ball series was on.”
This Test marks India’s first red-ball appearance since the retirement of legendary players Mithali Raj and Jhulan Goswami. Anjum suggests including off-spin all-rounder Sneh Rana and pacer Meghna Singh in the playing eleven, along with Yastika Bhatia as the wicket-keeper. She envisions a spin combination with Deepti Sharma and Rajeshwari Gayakwad joining Sneh.
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Anjum emphasizes the importance of Yastika Bhatia over Richa Ghosh as the wicketkeeper, citing her batting and keeping skills. The top and middle order include Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, and Harmanpreet Kaur.
England, having lost a Test to Australia earlier this year, aims to capitalize on consistent progress in the format. Anjum highlights England’s potent bowling combination with players like Charlie Dean, Sophie Ecclestone, and Kate Cross joining the team. She notes, “England’s focus will be to bat well because their fielding and bowling are a lot more used to utilizing the red ball.”
-IANS
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