Indian Women’s Team Fields 5 Debutants as England Elect to Bat

India are playing five debutants in the one-off Test against England.

(Photo: Twitter/England Cricket)

The England women’s team won the toss and elected to bat first in the one-off Test against India in Bristol on Wednesday. India, who are playing their first Test in almost seven years, are fielding five debutants.

Batter Shafali Verma, all-rounder Deepti Sharma, pace bowler Pooja Vastrakar and wicketkeeper Taniya Bhatia are playing their first Test. Off-spinner Sneh Rana, who is also making her Test debut, is returning to India fold after five years.

For England, all-rounder Sophia Dunkley makes debut. She becomes the first black player to represent England women's Test team.

Playing XIs

India women: Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Punam Raut, Mithali Raj (captain), Harmanpreet Kaur, Deepti Sharma, Sneh Rana, Taniya Bhatia (wicketkeeper), Jhulan Goswami, Pooja Vastrakar, Shikha Pandey.

England women: Lauren Winfield Hill, Tammy Beaumont, Heather Knight (captain), Natalie Sciver, Amy Ellen Jones (wciektkeeper), Sophia Dunkley, Georgia Elwiss, Katherine Brunt, Anya Shrubsole, Sophie Ecclestone, Kate Cross.

36th Test in 50 Years

Even as followers of the game celebrate the Indian women’s team’s return to Test cricket, statistics show this they have played just 36 Tests in all in the last five decades.

Of those 36 Tests -- with only two being played between 2010 and 2020 -- India have won just five, lost six and drawn 25. In comparison, their men counterparts have played many, many more over the same period.

The Indian women played the most Tests in 1980s - 10 in all - and drew all of them.

India are scheduled to play another Test match this year, a one-off pink-ball Test against Australia.