NEW DELHI: India’s captain Harmanpreet Kaur emphasized the significance of utilizing the current series against South Africa to familiarize themselves with various home grounds and take advantage of the known playing conditions, with a focus on the upcoming Women’s ODI World Cup next year.
India showcased their superiority by securing a clean sweep in the previous ODI series, winning all three matches in Bengaluru.
The team will now head to Chennai, where they will participate in a single Test match at the Chepauk stadium starting on Friday. Following the Test, the teams will compete in three T20I matches, also to be held in Chennai.
“It’s a great opportunity to get used to various home conditions,” PTI quoted Harmanpreet as saying in the pre-match media interaction.
“Even though we don’t have a lot of experience at home, this series will give us a lot of confidence — how the wickets behave and the combinations that we can use for the World Cup.”
The weather in Chennai has been cloudy, with intermittent showers expected throughout the city over the coming days.
Harmanpreet noted that the pitch at Chepauk is known for being slow-paced. However, she highlighted that it shares similarities with the surface in Mumbai, the venue where the team played their last two Test matches.
“It’s been raining for the last couple of days, but the wicket looks really good and we are hoping for it to start turning within one or two days,” Harmanpreet said.
“In the last two Tests in Mumbai, the wicket was behaving similarly. We don’t have much clarity about the wicket here. We discuss to go out there and see how the pitch is behaving.”
Harmanpreet expressed assurance that the training and drills conducted over the previous three days would prove beneficial and yield positive results during the upcoming game.
“We don’t have much experience on the Chennai wicket. But the practice session from the last couple of days has given us a fair idea and we will play accordingly,” she added.
“We have seen men’s Test matches here, but women’s cricket is completely different. Once we start playing as per the conditions, we will be gathering experience.”
India boasts a plethora of bowling choices, and according to Harmanpreet, players such as Arundhati Reddy, Smriti Mandhana, and herself can contribute as well.
“Arundhati is a great package and has done really well. We picked her based on her performance in the last couple of years. She can contribute a lot with the bat as well,” she said.
“If I get the opportunity (to bowl), definitely (I will bowl). Not only me, but Smriti is also bowling now, and if need be, we can use her as well.”
The Indian captain, who has played only five Tests, thanked head coach Amol Muzumdar for helping her adapt to the format.
“I don’t have much experience in Tests. But in the last two Tests, Amol sir helped me a lot, thanks to his Test-playing experience,” she said.
Kudos to BCCI
In December last year, India welcomed both England and Australia for back-to-back single Test matches, emerging victorious in each encounter.
After a four-year hiatus, women’s long-format cricket made a comeback in India’s domestic schedule with the Senior Inter-Zonal Multi-Day Trophy, which took place in Pune during March.
The tournament concluded with East Zone securing the championship title.
Hailing the BCCI, Harmanpreet said: “Our domestic cricket was featured very nicely last year. A lot of girls across age categories played those games, and the BCCI is doing a great job.
“They are trying their best to improve women’s cricket, and we really hope they keep up with it.”
“It’s a great opportunity for all of us. As a player, we always want to play red-ball cricket. And now that we are getting it, we are happy.
“The last two Tests we played (vs England and Australia) were really great. We are looking for a positive result in this Test as well. Hopefully, we will deliver,” she concluded.
India showcased their superiority by securing a clean sweep in the previous ODI series, winning all three matches in Bengaluru.
The team will now head to Chennai, where they will participate in a single Test match at the Chepauk stadium starting on Friday. Following the Test, the teams will compete in three T20I matches, also to be held in Chennai.
“It’s a great opportunity to get used to various home conditions,” PTI quoted Harmanpreet as saying in the pre-match media interaction.
“Even though we don’t have a lot of experience at home, this series will give us a lot of confidence — how the wickets behave and the combinations that we can use for the World Cup.”
The weather in Chennai has been cloudy, with intermittent showers expected throughout the city over the coming days.
Harmanpreet noted that the pitch at Chepauk is known for being slow-paced. However, she highlighted that it shares similarities with the surface in Mumbai, the venue where the team played their last two Test matches.
“It’s been raining for the last couple of days, but the wicket looks really good and we are hoping for it to start turning within one or two days,” Harmanpreet said.
“In the last two Tests in Mumbai, the wicket was behaving similarly. We don’t have much clarity about the wicket here. We discuss to go out there and see how the pitch is behaving.”
Harmanpreet expressed assurance that the training and drills conducted over the previous three days would prove beneficial and yield positive results during the upcoming game.
“We don’t have much experience on the Chennai wicket. But the practice session from the last couple of days has given us a fair idea and we will play accordingly,” she added.
“We have seen men’s Test matches here, but women’s cricket is completely different. Once we start playing as per the conditions, we will be gathering experience.”
India boasts a plethora of bowling choices, and according to Harmanpreet, players such as Arundhati Reddy, Smriti Mandhana, and herself can contribute as well.
“Arundhati is a great package and has done really well. We picked her based on her performance in the last couple of years. She can contribute a lot with the bat as well,” she said.
“If I get the opportunity (to bowl), definitely (I will bowl). Not only me, but Smriti is also bowling now, and if need be, we can use her as well.”
The Indian captain, who has played only five Tests, thanked head coach Amol Muzumdar for helping her adapt to the format.
“I don’t have much experience in Tests. But in the last two Tests, Amol sir helped me a lot, thanks to his Test-playing experience,” she said.
Kudos to BCCI
In December last year, India welcomed both England and Australia for back-to-back single Test matches, emerging victorious in each encounter.
After a four-year hiatus, women’s long-format cricket made a comeback in India’s domestic schedule with the Senior Inter-Zonal Multi-Day Trophy, which took place in Pune during March.
The tournament concluded with East Zone securing the championship title.
Hailing the BCCI, Harmanpreet said: “Our domestic cricket was featured very nicely last year. A lot of girls across age categories played those games, and the BCCI is doing a great job.
“They are trying their best to improve women’s cricket, and we really hope they keep up with it.”
“It’s a great opportunity for all of us. As a player, we always want to play red-ball cricket. And now that we are getting it, we are happy.
“The last two Tests we played (vs England and Australia) were really great. We are looking for a positive result in this Test as well. Hopefully, we will deliver,” she concluded.