Sushma Verma bats for more Test matches in women's cricket
The Indian women’s cricket team last played a Test match in November 2014. Sushma Verma was one of three Indian debutants as they comprehensively beat South Africa by an innings and 34 runs.
Apart from Sushma Verma, Rajeshwari Gayakwad and Poonam Yadav, 6 other Indian players were only playing the second Test match of their young careers in the longest format of the game.
However, if it were up to Indian wicketkeeper Sushma Verma, the Indian women would be playing a lot more Test cricket than they are currently. In an exclusive chat with Sportskeeda, the 27-year-old went on to speak about how she enjoyed the little experience she has had in Tests.
“If you ask me to say yes or no - it’s a big yes. I don’t know why we’re not playing or what the issues are, or when these things will be solved and we can start playing Tests again. I don’t know too much about that but I really enjoyed playing that match in 2014,” Sushma Verma said when asked whether she’d like to have played more Test cricket.
As an ardent cricket fan growing up, Sushma Verma was very fascinated by the kind of strategising that Test cricket brought with it. While watching on her television set at home, the right-handed batter was eager to calculate when the team should declare and what kind of target they should set their opponents.
When the India team toured England, and then South Africa came visiting India in 2014, the then 22-year-old Sushma Verma would get her chance to be a part of the Test match environment.
“If there was a Test match happening on TV, I’d already be calculating at what score the team should declare, and by what point you’d need to bowl out the opposition. And when I had the chance to actually do all of these things, I enjoyed it that much more, both when watching from the bench against England and then playing against South Africa. I remember that I had to keep for two and a half days straight,” Sushma Verma added.
I am 110% sure India would be at the top in Test cricket: Sushma Verma
The first cricketer from Himachal Pradesh, male or female, to represent India in international cricket, Sushma Verma went on to address the apparent fitness issue that women face while playing Test cricket. According to her, girls are now much fitter and can last 4-5 days on a cricket ground without a problem, while reiterating that Test matches should definitely happen.
“If you’re asking me whether Test matches should happen, they absolutely should happen. While there were problems with fitness before, it has become a lot better. Girls are so fit now. We can surely stay on the ground for 4-5 days,” Sushma Verma said.
Discussing the present Indian women team’s chances in Test cricket, the 2017 World Cup finalist suggested that India would become the best team in the world, given a chance. She argued that Indian players have good technique and high skill levels.
Sushma Verma also acknowledged the role that the domestic season played in the great temperament that Indian batters have shown. According to her, a player’s temperament improves with every match she plays, and the long seasons in India contribute greatly to the batter’s abilities.
“I am 110% sure that India would be at the very top when it comes to Test cricket. The first reason for that would be that we are very skillful, and our technique is better than most other teams. If you’re playing 4 or 5-day cricket, technique and temperament are of the highest importance, and our batters have a sound temperament as well,” Sushma Verma told us.
“We have a long domestic season with the final being the 12th match. And a player’s temperament improves with every match that they play. Even in the last two matches that we played against England and South Africa, we went on to win comfortably. I do believe India will be at the top if we were to play more Test matches,” Sushma Verma added.
Since the turn of the century in 2000, the Indian women have played only 10 Test matches, winning four and losing just the one. Furthermore, the 2010s saw the team play only two Test matches, and win both. Only time can tell if the situation will change, or if the infrequency of the longest format will continue in the women’s game.