India have a chance due to playing at home; but England more suited to red-ball cricket: Anjum Chopra

Mumbai:  On Thursday, India and England will face off in a one-off women’s Test at the DY Patil Stadium. The teams will be featuring in a red-ball contest happening in India for the first time since 2014. The last time these two teams met in a Test match, it was at Bristol in 2021 where it ended in a draw.

Former captain Anjum Chopra believes India have a chance of doing well in the Test due to playing at home, but feels England are more suited to play Test cricket due to playing the format more.

“India have a chance mainly because they are playing at home. But, I feel the conditions will favour England since their Test players were practicing at the city’s gymkhanas when the white-ball series was on. So, they are more used to the conditions.”

“In any case, England play more red-ball cricket. Our players played their last Test against Australia in 2021. After that they have not played red-ball cricket and there are no long-format domestic matches. So, England are definitely more suited to red-ball cricket than India,” said Anjum to JioCinema.

This will be the first time India will be playing in a Test match since the retirement of legendary players Mithali Raj and Jhulan Goswami. India’s preparation for the Test match included an India v India A match at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru before kickstarting the international home season.

Anjum feels that off-spin all-rounder Sneh Rana and pacer Meghna Singh should slot into the playing eleven for the Test match, along with Yastika Bhatia as the wicket-keeper.

“I feel Sneh Rana and Meghna Singh should be in the line-up. If Deepti Sharma and Rajeshwari Gayakwad join Sneh, so we may be able to see this spin combination. Plus, along with Meghna Singh, if Renuka Singh Thakur and Pooja Vastrakar (all-rounder) play, so we’ll straight away have six bowlers.”

“Between the two wicketkeepers, Richa Ghosh and Yastika Bhatia, I’d prefer Yastika Bhatia because she bats and keeps really well. If we look at the top and middle order, Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues and Harmanpreet Kaur come into it,” she added.

England last played a Test match earlier this year, where they lost to Australia at Trent Bridge, though opener Tammy Beaumont scored a double century. England last played a Test match in India in 2005 and Anjum thinks they have been making consistent progress in the format.

“England’s performance over the years has improved. When they played the Ashes, they played a good Test. Tammy Beaumont scored a double hundred. From then to the Test that they will play against India, their progress has been consistent. England would like to go with both Charlie Dean and Sophie Ecclestone.”

“Even Kate Cross has joined the team. So, their bowling combination will be very good. England’s focus will be to bat well because their fielding and bowling is a lot more used to utilizing the red ball.”

–IANS