The Indian women's cricket team are back in Test whites against England in a one-off Test at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on December 14th. Winning the toss, the hosts decided to bat first. Making their Test debuts are Jemimah Rodrigues, Renuka Thakur, and Shubha Satheesh for India, while England have Sophia Dunkley in place of Emma Lamb.
After losing the T20I series 1-2, skipper Harmanpreet Kaur aims for a strong start on the first day of the Test. The Indian Women’s team hasn’t played much red-ball cricket lately; their last Test was against Australia in 2021.
Jemimah, a regular in India's ODI and T20I setup, boasts 523 runs in WODIs at an average of 23.77, with four fifties. In WT20Is, she's amassed 1923 runs at an average of 30.04 with 10 half-centuries. Renuka has taken part in seven WODIs, scalping 18 wickets at an economy of 4.62 and an average of 14.88. In 35 WT20Is, she secured 38 wickets at an economy of 6.42. Satheesh will make her debut for India across all formats.
India have a favourable history, having lost only one Test to England in 14 matches since their rivalry began in 1986. They will play two Test matches this month, facing Australia in a one-off Test starting December 21 after the England clash.
Their last Test against England in June 2021 at Bristol ended in a draw. India's vice-captain, Smriti Mandhana, scored 78 runs in the first innings, while teenage sensation Shafali Verma shone with 96 and 63 across the two innings.
England, having played Tests recently against Australia in Nottingham in June, faced a defeat despite Tammy Beaumont's impressive double century in the first innings.
India's Starting 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's Starting 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.