The first women’s test match is going to start at Lord’s from Friday, in which the teams of India and England will face each other. This match is more important than just the result. More than 140 years have passed since the first men’s Test match at this ground, and now finally the women’s game is going to be played in the ‘Home of Cricket’. This is being considered as another important step towards bringing more equality in sports.

The England team is making a comeback in the longest format (Test) and would like to improve the disappointing record of only one Test win in the last decade. They faced a crushing defeat at the hands of Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground earlier this year, and the defeat in the T20 World Cup final on home soil is also fresh in the memories.

English captain Nat Sciver-Brunt will be hoping that the change to red-ball cricket will give the team a chance to regain momentum. The team has played brilliantly at times, but has struggled to perform consistently on big occasions.

India has also come with similar intentions, whose T20 World Cup journey had ended disappointingly in the group stage itself. Even though Harmanpreet Kaur’s team has played very few matches in this format in recent years, they have performed impressively whenever they got the chance.

So far, 15 test matches have been played between the women’s teams of India and England, in which Team India has won 3 matches, while 1 match was won by England. The remaining 11 matches have been draws.

India’s impressive win over South Africa in Chennai in 2024 reaffirmed India’s strength in red-ball cricket, although their unbeaten run was halted by Australia in the pink-ball Test in Perth earlier this year.

India has included new faces in the team. Harleen Deol, left-arm spinner N Sri Charani and fast bowler Nandini Sharma are in line to make their Test debut, while seam-bowling all-rounder Sayali Satghare provides the much-needed balance to the team.

After taking stock of the situation on the morning of the first day, selection decisions can prove to be important. England have good pace options in Lauren Filler and Izzy Wong, who are capable of taking advantage of any help the Lord’s pitch provides.

The presence of experienced players like Tammy Beaumont, Heather Knight, Maia Bouchier and world-class spinner Sophie Ecclestone gives the hosts a strong base despite the arrival of new players.

India’s preparations have been dealt a blow due to the injury of opener Pratika Raval; Who suffered a knee injury during the India A match. Priya Punia has been included in the squad, while the race for a place in the batting order is still on, with Shefali Verma, Jemimah Rodriguez, Yastika Bhatia and Harleen Deol all vying for a place in the starting playing eleven.

The formation of India’s bowling line-up is also an interesting aspect. Head coach Amol Majumdar will have to choose the right combination among Renuka Singh, Kranti Gaur and Nandini Sharma, while Satghare’s ability to contribute in both the departments makes her a strong contender for inclusion in the team.

India team: Smriti Mandhana, Yastika Bhatia, Harleen Deol, Richa Ghosh (wk), Priya Punia, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Sneh Rana, Sayli Satghare, Shefali Verma, Deepti Sharma, Kranti Gaur, Renuka Singh, Nandini Sharma, Sri Charani.

England squad: Nat Sciver-Brunt (captain), Tammy Beaumont, Lauren Bell, Maia Bouchier, Alice Capsi, Tilly Courteen-Coleman, Sophie Ecclestone, Lauren Filer, Amy Jones (wk), Heather Knight, Emma Lamb, Grace Potts, Ellie Threlkeld, Mady Villiers, Izzy Wong.