India vs. England one-off Test: Expected Indian Women's team combination
Under the leadership of seasoned campaigner Mithali Raj, the Indian Women's team will lock horns with England Women in a solo 4-day Test at the Bristol County Ground. The match begins on 16 June 2021, two days before the final of the World Test Championship (WTC).
The Indian women's team last played a Test in 2014, where they beat their South African counterparts comprehensively. However, facing the English on their home soil in the longest format won't be easy.
An unlikely defeat in both the ODI and T20 series at home against South Africa would have dealt a severe blow to the players' confidence. It will be interesting to see how the team recovers from the defeat.
Much will depend upon the newly-appointed coach, Ramesh Powar. He is returning for another stint after a major fallout with Mithali in 2018. However, both have decided to bury the hatchet. Their insistence on moving on from the unfortunate incident augurs well for the team.
The focus will be on the team combination and how successfully the players rise to the occasion.
Smriti Mandhana and Punam Raut should form the opening pair for the Indian Women's team
Punam Raut is likely to accompany Smriti to the crease. Management may spring a surprise and draft the exciting young talent, Shafali Verma, into the XI. However, it is unlikely that Shafali will debut in a Test match before ODIs.
Moreover, Raut smashed a century in the last Test the team played in 2014. She stitched a 275-run record partnership with Thirush Kamini for the second wicket. It is only fair that Smriti and Raut open the batting. The Indian women's team may also try wicket-keeper Taniya Bhatia as an opener.
Mithali to form the backbone; Jemimah Rodrigues has a point to prove
Jemimah Rodrigues, another powerhouse of talent, has been going through a lean patch. The onus is on her to strengthen the middle order along with her skipper, Mithali. Another string of low scores and Jemimah will find herself replaced.
Mithali will have to provide much-needed stability in the middle-order. She has been a workhorse and the backbone of the Indian line-up for many years now. In challenging English conditions, her vast experience will come to the fore.
Harmanpreet Kaur, captain of the Indian women's team in T20s, is set to hold the fort in the lower middle-order.
Jhulan Goswami to lead the pace attack
Veteran pace bowler Jhulan Goswami is again set to lead the pace attack for the Indian women's team. With match conditions set to favor swing bowling, India should field Shikha Pandey and Pooja Vastrakar as the other two options.
Shikha Pandey is returning to the side after being ignored for the home series. She must be raring to go after falling victim to a shocking selection blunder. Arundhati Reddy is likely to miss the cut.
Pooja's all-round abilities should come in handy for the Indian women. However, she has been a case of unfulfilled potential since her debut. Eyes will be on her if she gets the opportunity to feature in the XI.
Who will head the spin department for the Indian Women's team?
Choosing the sole lead spinner is going to be a daunting task. While Deepti and Harmpanpreet will contribute with their off-spin, they are still a part-time option. Leg-spinner Poonam Yadav and two left-arm orthodox players, Ekta Bisht and Radha Yadav, are in contention for a single spot.
However, it is possible that the Indian women's team will not opt for a regular spinner to strengthen their batting line-up.
Without the provision of a practice match, Indian players might have a tough time adjusting to the conditions. However, the Indian women's team will surely savor this opportunity, which has come by after seven long years.
Likely XI: Smriti Mandhana, Punam Raut, Jemimah Rodrigues, Mithali Raj (Captain), Harmanpreet Kaur, Deepti Sharma, Taniya Bhatia (wicket-keeper), Jhulan Goswami, Shikha Pandey, Pooja Vastrakar, Ekta Bisht.