Team India completed a dominating performance on Day 1 of the IND-W vs AUS-W Test being played at the iconic Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Pooja Vastrakar was the star for the home team as she took four wickets for her side.
India Women (Playing XI): Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet Kaur(c), Yastika Bhatia(w), Richa Ghosh, Deepti Sharma, Sneh Rana, Pooja Vastrakar, Renuka Thakur Singh, Rajeshwari Gayakwad
Australia Women (Playing XI): Beth Mooney, Phoebe Litchfield, Ellyse Perry, Tahlia McGrath, Alyssa Healy(w/c), Annabel Sutherland, Ashleigh Gardner, Jess Jonassen, Alana King, Kim Garth, Lauren Cheatle
India Women vs Australia Women Test: None of the Indian women’s players have played consecutive Test matches with just five days of break. But Harmanpreet Kaur & Co will take it happily as the Women’s Test is as rare as the men’s team winning an ICC trophy. After thrashing England at home, they now face the mighty Australia, who have not lost a match since 2014, in a one-off Test at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. However, even for this Australian women’s team, it’s a rarity. They will play a Test match in India after a long 39-year gap.
And that’s the advantage India would be banking on. India have never beaten Australia in a Test match in their 47 years of Test history. As Harmanpreet Kaur & Co are riding high on confidence after the 347-run win against England, it is perhaps the best time to face Alyssa Healy-led Australia.
IND-W vs AUS-W Head-to-head
India women have faced Australia women 10 times in Tests. But the Aussies have won four of them while the other six have ended in draws. The last Test between the two women’s sides was a pink-ball Test in Carara in 2021. And India were in a great position to win their first Test in Australia. However, the weather played spoilsport in the four-day Test as the match ended in a draw.
- Matches: 10
- Australia Win: 4
- India Win: 0
- Draws: 6
India Women vs Australia Women Test: What to expect?
While the Wankhede pitch will definitely be a talking point, India will be a confident unit. Off-spinner Deepti Sharma had a wonderful game, taking 9 wickets in the match. The Indian batters delivered too. Harmanpreet Kaur, Jemimah Rodrigues and Yastika Bhatia all made significant contributions with the bat.
However, opener Smriti Mandhana’s form will be a worry. India would need their enigmatic southpaw to fire from all cylinders in the IND W vs AUS W Test. Mandhana had a good outing the last time the Indian Women played a Test match against Australian Women in Carra two years ago. Mandhana smashed 127 opening the innings.
Australia, on the other hand, will be playing a Test in India after almost 40 years. And under Alyssa Healy, this will be Australia’s first real “test” in the subcontinent after Meg Lanning stepped down from captaincy. However, the experience of the Aussie cricketers playing in India in Women’s Premier League earlier this year will definitely help the lot.
Wankhede Pitch Report: The Wankhede pitch is expected to be largely batting-friendly while offering something to the seamers as well, especially during the first hour of the day’s play. As the match progresses, spinners can come into play when the pitch wears out. The Wankhede pitch has a tinge of grass the day before the game, suggesting a fighting contest between the bat and the ball.
India Women Test Squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (captain), Smriti Mandhana (vice captain), Jemimah Rodrigues, Shafali Verma, Deepti Sharma, Yastika Bhatia (wicketkeeper), Richa Ghosh (wicketkeeper), Sneh Rana, Shubha Satheesh, Harleen Deol, Saika Ishaque, Renuka Singh Thakur, Titas Sadhu, Meghna Singh, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Pooja Vastrakar.
Australia Women Test Squad vs India: Alyssa Healy (captain/wicketkeeper), Tahlia McGrath (vice captain), Darcie Brown, Lauren Cheatle, Heather Graham, Ashleigh Gardner, Kim Garth, Jess Jonassen, Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Beth Mooney (wicketkeeper), Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Wareham.
