ENGW vs INDW, Only Test: England elect to bat
England Women and India Women are clashing in the one-off Test at the County Ground, Bristol. Heather Knight has won the toss and elected to bat in the historic game, which marks the return of Indian women to the Test fold. Notably, the Indian women's side last played a Test against South Africa at home in 2014. Here are further details.
Pitch report, conditions, and TV listing
The match is being played in Bristol, wherein fast bowlers dominate the proceedings. Considering the current weather, there could be plenty of swing on offer. As per a report in Cricbuzz, moderate showers are expected on Day 2 of the Test, which might stop the play. The match is being telecast on Sony Ten 1, while live streaming is available on SonyLIV.
Playing XIs of England and India
England Women: Lauren Winfield Hill, Tammy Beaumont, Heather Knight (captain), Natalie Sciver, Amy Ellen Jones (wicket-keeper), Sophia Dunkley, Georgia Elwiss, Katherine Brunt, Anya Shrubsole, Sophie Ecclestone, Kate Cross. India Women: Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Punam Raut, Mithali Raj (captain), Harmanpreet Kaur, Deepti Sharma, Sneh Rana, Taniya Bhatia (wicket-keeper), Jhulan Goswami, Pooja Vastrakar, Shikha Pandey.
Shafali Verma makes her Test debut
Shafali Verma has earned her maiden Test cap after performing well in white-ball cricket. She recently starred for India in the SA series at home. Apart from Verma, white-ball players Deepti Sharma, Pooja Vastrakar and Taniya Bhatia are also making their debuts. Sneh Rana makes a return to international cricket after five years. Meanwhile, England have included debutant Sophia Dunkley in the line-up.
A look at the head-to-head record
India Women hold the edge over England Women in the head-to-head meetings (Tests). In 13 Tests between the two sides, India have managed to win two. While England have won just one, as many as 10 Tests have resulted in a draw. Notably, India Women are yet to lose a Test in England. They have won two and drawn six Tests in the nation.
ENGW vs INDW: What happened in the last encounter?
Team India won the last encounter between the two sides in 2014. The Mithali Raj-led side had bowled out England for 92 and 202 before chasing 181. Notably, Mithali (50*) and Smriti Mandhana (51) scored fifties in the run-chase. Fast bowler Jhulan Goswami took a total of five wickets in the match. Interestingly, as many as eight Indian players made their Test debuts.
Here are the interesting stats
India Women have registered the second-most wins (5) in Test cricket after Australia and England (20 each). They have won their last three Tests, which were played in the space of eight years. Two of those three wins were against England away from home (2006 and 2014). Notably, Mithali is playing only the 11th Test in her 22-year-long international career.
