After a long break of seven years, India women are set to play their first Test against England on June 16 in Bristol in what promises to be a cracker of a tour.
The last time India women participated in a Test match was in 2014 where they faced South Africa. India women will further take on Australia in their first-ever pink-ball Test later in the year at the Adelaide Oval in what will be a historic moment in women’s cricket.
India Women are Excited to Play Test series
In a video posted by the BCCI, India Test vice-captain Harmanpreet Kaur expressed her excitement on the prospect of playing a Test match for India after a long time.
“Test match is like a dream, I actually want to play many Test matches in my life and I hope we will continue this. Playing in England with the red ball is challenging and we all are excited about it,” Kaur said.
Sleep patterns, UK vibes & excitement in the team ahead of the England tour 😎 👌#TeamIndia‘s power duo @ImHarmanpreet & @mandhana_smriti discuss it all in this fun chat with @JemiRodrigues – 👍 👍 – by @RajalArora
Watch the full video 🎥 👇https://t.co/n4Wwjc7Zjg pic.twitter.com/Ez57zus1JT
— BCCI Women (@BCCIWomen) June 3, 2021
Smriti Mandhana Express her view
Even Smriti Mandhana expressed her excitement as she gears up to take the field. “It’s quite exciting as we are touring with the Indian team after a long time. We have had tours individually for KSL but really excited to go out there with a bunch of girls,” Smriti said.
Earlier last week, the BCCI unveiled the Test jersey that India women will don in the one-off Test against England.
“We got to know a lot about the history of women’s cricket and also Mithali di spoke about the importance of Test cricket for them. It was quite motivational,” Smriti said about the ceremony.
Whereas Harmanpreet said it was great to meet the team members after completing the quarantine period.
“It was a great feeling as we are in quarantine and it was a chance to meet everyone present there. We exchanged the jersey, it was a great feeling, ” she added. India Women have arrived in England, where they will face England in a one-off Test, three ODIs, and three T20Is.
📸 📸: #TeamIndia‘s new Test kit ahead of the #ENGvIND Test!@M_Raj03 | @JhulanG10 | @ImHarmanpreet | @mandhana_smriti pic.twitter.com/KmJyXqdOBk
— BCCI Women (@BCCIWomen) May 30, 2021
India Women Tour of England Schedule
| Match | Date | Venue |
| Test | ||
| One-Off Test | June 16 – 19 | Bristol County Ground, in Bristol |
| ODI Series | ||
| 1st ODI | June 27 | Bristol County Ground, in Bristol |
| 2nd ODI | June 30 | The County Ground, in Taunton |
| 3rd ODI | July 3 | New Road, in Worcester |
| T20I Series | ||
| 1st T20I | July 9 | The County Ground, in Northampton |
| 2nd T20I | July 11 | 1st Central Country Ground, in Hove |
| 3rd T20I | July 15 | The Cloudfm County Ground, in Chelmsford |
India’s Senior Women squad for Test & ODI
Mithali Raj (Captain), Smriti Mandhana, Harmanpreet Kaur (vice-captain), Punam Raut, Priya Punia, Deepti Sharma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Shafali Verma, Sneh Rana, Taniya Bhatia (wicket-keeper), Indrani Roy (wicket-keeper), Jhulan Goswami, Shikha Pandey, Pooja Vastrakar, Arundhati Reddy, Poonam Yadav, Ekta Bisht, Radha Yadav.
India`s Senior Women squad for T20I
Harmanpreet Kaur (Captain) Smriti Mandhana (vice-captain), Deepti Sharma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Shafali Verma, Richa Ghosh, Harleen Deol, Sneh Rana, Taniya Bhatia (wicket-keeper), Indrani Roy (wicket-keeper), Shikha Pandey, Pooja Vastrakar, Arundhati Reddy, Poonam Yadav, Ekta Bisht, Radha Yadav, Simaran Dil Bahadur.
