If more Test matches for women's cricket are to be played in the future, Captain Harmanpreet Kaur stated on Wednesday that Team India would need to take charge.
On Thursday, December 14, at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai, India and England will play a one-off Test match. Kaur made these remarks the night before.
After playing two Tests in 2021 against Australia and England, this will be India's first home Test since the 2014 Mysore match against South Africa.
According to Kaur, players want to play in additional long-format matches when India returns to the Test field after the month of September 2021, but administrators have the last say.
As athletes, our desire to participate in more Test matches is growing. It is up to the ICC and the board to decide," she declared. In the third Twenty20 International against England, Kaur injured her foot, but she now felt better.
Given that the T20Is and Tests were separated by just three days, Kaur predicted that athletes were going to find it difficult to transition between the white and red ball formats. Kaur stated that it would be advantageous to shift perspective rapidly. Since this will be Kaur's first time leading the nation in tests, she acknowledged that she was experiencing butterflies in her stomach.
The England captain, Heather Knight, on the other hand, believed that both teams would be playing with a critical mindset going into the forthcoming one-off Test, which she described as a "huge unknown."
The Harmanpreet Kaur-led team will present a formidable challenge to the visitors since they have not lost a Test match at home since 1995 and abroad since 2006. However, they have not played red-ball cricket in the previous two years.
Knight, though, did not overinterpret the non-familiarity component. Although England will play their 100th Test, the captain was unaware of the accomplishment. While Knight agreed that there might be some concern in the camp, he said that they would be motivated by the previous year's rapid transition between the Test and T20I series.
With just three days separating the completion of the last T20I series and this match, Knight emphasized the importance of having the correct mindset. Knight said that with the heat and humidity, England would be encouraged to select an additional bowler. Since their last victory in January 2014, England has lost three and drawn five Test matches. Knight stated that her team is eager to turn that around.