One-off Test Preview: England Women vs India Women
Match Details
Date: June 16-19, 2021
Time: 3:30 PM (IST)
Venue: Bristol County Ground
Live Ball-by-Ball Commentary: SportsTiger App
Preview:
England women are all set to host India women in a historic one-off Test match, commencing on June 16 at the County Ground in Bristol. While the England Women were last in action in February-March, playing three ODIs and as many T20Is against New Zealand Women, India Women last played against the South Africa Women in March, featuring in five ODIs and three T20Is.
However, both teams had faced contrasting results in their previous assignment. While England had won both the ODI as well as the T20I series, the visiting South African side in India had clinched both the series. The match, thus is a welcome return to action for both the teams.
Meanwhile, the four-day contest becomes a significant one since England Women last played a Test against Australia Women in 2019 which ended in a draw. Furthermore, this is India’s first Test since 2014 where they registered a dominant win by an innings and 34-runs against South Africa women.
Head to Head
England Women: 1
India Women: 2
Draws: 10
Team News:
It’s more or less the start of the season for both the sides so expect all key players from both the teams to be fit and available for selection for this match.
Key Players:
Heather Knight- It’s a big game and so expect the big players to come good. Heather Knight for England is likely to be the key player. She has already featured in as many as 7 Test matches before and knows a thing or two about donning the whites. Moreover, she also has a Test match hundred to her credit and would look to replicate a similar performance against India in this match and take the confidence moving ahead in the season.
Mithali Raj- For India, all eyes will be on Mithali Raj. With an average of over 50 and her reputation of playing a long innings, the veteran who has featured in 10 Test matches also has a Test hundred to her credit. She will be looking to lead by example and guide India to a good performance in the first match of the tour which can set the tone right for the remainder of the series.
Jhulan Goswami- Would be a delight to see experienced India seamer Jhulan Goswami bowl with a red cherry in her hands in English conditions. The speedster has three fifers to her name in this form of the game and has even taken 10 wickets in a match once. Along with Mithali, Jhulan has also played 10 Tests for India and would be eager to do well in this one-off affair against England.
Probable Playing XI:
England: Heather Knight (c), Emily Arlott, Tammy Beaumont, Katherine Brunt, Kate Cross, Natasha Farrant, Sophia Dunkley, Sophie Ecclestone, Amy Jones, Nathalie Sciver, Fran Wilson
India: Mithali Raj (c), Smriti Mandhana, Harmanpreet Kaur, Punam Raut, Deepti Sharma, Shafali Verma, Taniya Bhatia, Jhulan Goswami, Shikha Pandey, Pooja Vastrakar/Arundhati Reddy, Radha Yadav