HYDERABAD: Mithali Raj’s 15-year-old international career statistics read — 148 one-day internationals and 46 Twenty20s. But how many Test matches? Only eight. The last time India played a Test match was way back in 2006, and incidentally against England at Taunton where India beat the mighty hosts.
It is eight years later that the Indian women’s team will finally get to play a Test match and that too at Old Blighty. The Mithali-led Indian team will play one Test (four days) and three one-dayers in their one-month tour starting August 7.
The Indian women have all but forgotten what Test cricket is all about and so when this match was included in the itinerary, it came as a surprise to Mithali, who has the distinction of scoring a mammoth 214 as a 19-year-old in 2002. “I was surprised because, suddenly out of the blue you come to know you are playing a 4-day Test against England without any preparations. Since many years there have been no three-day or four-day games even in the domestic circuit. So it was surprising. But, on the other hand, as a cricketer, I was quite happy because I never thought that after 2006 I would ever get to play another Test,” said the 31-year-old Indian captain to TNIE.
Out of the 15-member team, only three — Mithali, Jhulan Goswami and vice captain Karuna Jain — have the experience of playing a Test match. So this is a big and different challenge for Mithali. “The Test match, I think, will be more challenging because we three are also playing after eight years, the rest are going to make their debut. So we have a very inexperienced team you can say,” felt the Rajasthan-born cricketer. The excitement is palpable. Apart from the Test match, the players will play the last ODI at Lord’s. Mithali has sweet memories of the 2006 Test in which Jhulan took five wickets.
She said it will be a different experience for the younger players. Although they are not new to English conditions because some of the players were in the country in 2012, a Test match is a different cup of tea.
“They played the one-dayers there but yes when it comes to Test matches none of them are aware of the format. A Test is all about temperament, patience and you need to keep assessing the situation every session. This is important in a Test whereas in one-dayers you have limited overs and time but in a Test match it is session to session, the situation keeps fluctuating so again everything will be boiling down to me and Jhulan taking the team along, whether it is tactics or batting or bowling or you know pulling them along. Sometimes, Test matches get boring also and sometimes it is quite entertaining. You never know which side it is going to go. They are not aware of these experiences,” she added.
On the contrary, the England team will have a huge advantage as they play Test matches frequently. They recently beat Australia Down Under to win the Ashes series. “They have been playing Test matches with Australia so they are quite experienced in Tests,” the Railways player pointed out.
Mithali is hopeful that Test matches will be revived in India. “With this match I am hoping that we will get four-day games into the domestic calender and probably will try and play Test matches with England or Australia.”