Having not played a Test for seven years and with hardly any preparation behind them, the Indian women’s team will have a task on their hands when they take on England in a much-anticipated fixture in Bristol.
However, one of the team’s stalwarts, Harmanpreet Kaur, is still quite confident of the visitors’ chances and believes lack of proper build-up to the Test match won’t affect them as much.
We have created match scenarios and have prepared to the best of our opportunities. We know we didn’t get that much time to practice, but as players, we have tried to adapt as quickly as possible.
Harmanpreet said on Monday (June 13) during a pre-match press conference, as per Cricbuzz.
The Indians have won both of their previous two women’s Tests in the UK against England on visits in 2006 and 2014. Harmanpreet could take confidence from the past, as she also emphasized the mental toughness within the group and talked about head coach Ramesh Powar’s contribution to the same.
He’s someone who’s always involved in the game and wants the others to remain involved as well.
she said.
He always creates scenarios where you feel like you’re in a match – [so it’s about] how you would react in that scenario and what your planning would be.
To bridge the preparation gap, the women’s team have taken help from India’s male Test vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane, who is also in the UK for an elongated summer of Test cricket, unfolding with the World Test Championship final.
Whenever as a batting group we discuss, we talk… like this time we got a chance to talk to Rahane also because he has so much experience. He shared his experience with us, the approach we need to take in this long format, how we have to divide our innings into five minute periods…
Not just prolonged absence from the Test arena, India’s women cricketers have also not had enough first-class matches under their belt in the last few years. Harmanpreet, though, is quite optimistic of the team coming together nicely and performing well.
While aware of how big a shift in approach a Test would require of her and the rest of the batters after playing so much of white-ball cricket, she said it’s a matter of reacting well to the ball and applying patience at the crease.
