When India Test skipper Mithali Raj and her Australian counterpart Meg Lanning step out for the toss at the Carrara Oval on September 30, it will be a first for the two seasoned campaigners.
It will be the first day-night Test match for both Lanning and Raj, who has played 11 Tests and 220 ODIs in her career spanning 22 years. To add to the mystery of pink-ball Test, the pitch is a drop-in one, and so, there's not much in terms of information that can be used for strategising.
Raj, however, isn't complaining. She loves the format and considers 2021 a windfall year for the Indian women's cricket team, having played two Tests this year. A determined India had snatched a draw on the last day of the Test match against England earlier this year in Bristol.
Raj would expect the team to come up with a similar dogged performance in their first pink-ball Test. It won’t be easy, especially with the absence of deputy Harmanpreet Kaur, who is yet to recover from thumb injury and is ruled out of the game.
The Indian team has not had much practice with the pink ball ahead of the Test match, having trained for the first time with it only two days before the game. Speaking to the Indian media on the eve of the match against Australia, Raj said the final bowling combination would be decided in the morning. Excerpts:
Q) When did you first practice with the pink ball and your first impression?
A) We had our first training session with the pink ball yesterday (Tuesday). It was a different experience for everybody because we are not used to seeing a pink ball around. It does [swing] quite a bit, initially.
Q) Your thoughts on the Indian bowling unit going into the one-off Test match?
A) We are quite pleased with the way our three fast bowlers have bowled in the ODI series. Jhulan Goswami, of course, is the most experienced and she has been helping other girls - Meghna Singh and Pooja Vastrakar. We also have Shikha Pandey, who is experienced. It’s a good pace department.
Q) What is the significance of the pink ball Test for you and women's cricket?
A) The most important thing is that this year we got two Test matches. If this becomes a regular feature in bilateral series, then playing all three formats will definitely help all the players. The feedback I get most of the time is that, each time players are part of different leagues, they love to play the longer format. It depends on boards but Test format definitely should be a regular feature. It really helps.
Q) What are your thoughts on conditions? And what will be the bowling combination?
A) There is fair amount of grass on the wicket and yes, it’s a drop-in pitch. So, it’s first time we are playing on it. We are still to decide on the combination. But, looking at the pitch, it will offer a lot to seamers initially.
Q) Will you bat for resumption of first-class cricket?
A) Clearly, if girls need to do well in this, they need more experience in first-class cricket. It will need an addition in domestic calendar.
Q) Your thoughts on Jhulan Goswami and her importance going into the Test match?
A) Both of us have been playing for a long time. I have seen her as young bowler when she came into the side - the Test match in England which we won; she got all those wickets for us. She is now scoring runs, too. It’s good to see her do so. The best part about her is that she is always around young speedsters in our side to share her experience. Having her around to nurture young bowlers is a huge advantage.
