The Indian women's cricket team is squaring off against England in a Test match at Mumbai's DY Patil Sports Academy, marking a significant moment for three players who are making their Test debuts. Jemimah Rodrigues, Renuka Thakur, and Shubha Satheesh are donning the white jersey for India in this format for the first time.
India, led by Harmanpreet Kaur, enters the match with a strong historical record against England, having lost only once in their 14 encounters since 1986. The last time these two teams met in a Test was in 2021, a game that ended in a draw at Bristol. In that match, India's performance was highlighted by Smriti Mandhana's 78 runs in the first innings and teenager Shafali Verma's impressive scores of 96 and 63.
The debutantes bring their own strengths to the Indian squad. Jemimah Rodrigues, a key player in India's ODI and T20I teams, has amassed 523 runs in WODIs at an average of 23.77 and 1923 runs in WT20Is at an average of 30.04. Renuka Thakur, known for her bowling prowess, has taken 18 wickets in seven WODIs and 38 wickets in 35 WT20Is. Shubha Satheesh, making her first appearance in any format for India, adds fresh talent to the team.
On the other side, England's women's team comes off a recent Test against Australia in Nottingham, where despite Tammy Beaumont's notable double century, they faced an 89-run defeat.
The match in Mumbai is not just another Test for the Indian women's team; it's a chance for the debutantes to make their mark in the longest format of the game and for India to continue their dominance over England in Test cricket. Following this match, the Indian team is scheduled to play a one-off Test against Australia, starting on December 21, adding to the excitement of the women's cricket calendar.
This significant matchup raises the question of whether women's cricket should have its own World Test Championship, mirroring the men's format, to further elevate the prominence and competitiveness of the women's game on the international stage.
India playing XI: Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Shubha Satheesh, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet Kaur (C), Yastika Bhatia (WK), Deepti Sharma, Pooja Vastrakar, Sneh Rana, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Renuka Singh.
England playing XI: Tammy Beaumont, Sophia Dunkley, Heather Knight (C), Nat Sciver-Brunt, Danni Wyatt, Amy Jones (WK), Sophie Ecclestone, Charlie Dean, Kate Cross, Lauren Filer, Lauren Bell.
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