After humiliating England by a staggering 270 runs in the one-off Women’s Test match at the storied Lord’s, Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur expressed her desire to play a lot more Test cricket in the future on Monday. With an incredible victory, India made the inaugural Women’s Test held at the “Home of Cricket” unforgettable.
“God is a better writer and he has written it pretty well. Playing at the Lord’s is always special. Really want to thank people who thought about bringing the match here. Hopefully, we will get more here (at the Lord’s). Hopefully, we will get 10 more Test matches and we can keep performing,” PTI quoted Harmanpreet as saying in the post-match presentation.
Harmanpreet praised wicketkeeper batter Yastika Bhatia for spearheading India’s attack with a century, but she also stated that her team’s true strength was collaboration.
“That is why we put her in the eleven. Really happy with the way she (Bhatia) batted. Our openers have been our strength – the way they batted in the first half, it was special to watch. Really happy the way our entire team fielded. Everyone came together and did the job for the team,” she said.
The captain also praised the team’s support staff, led by coach Amol Muzumdar, for maintaining the players’ positive attitude despite the unfavorable outcomes.
“The support staff, they have played a lot of red-ball cricket and they know how it moves, and they are giving us feedback each and every moment.”
After failing to advance to the knockout stage of the last T20 World Cup, India entered the Test. “Really want to thank Amol sir and everyone else for the way we played. The last couple of series have not been in our favour.”
Kranti Gaud, the player of the match who claimed seven wickets, including a fifer in the first innings, described seeing her name on the Lord’s Honours Board as a dream come true.
“Growing up, I never imagined something like this would happen. But from the day this Test match began, I told myself that I wanted to get my name on the honours board. I feel extremely proud, and so does my family. I want to thank everyone – my coaches, my seniors, and everyone who has supported me throughout this journey. I’ve made a small museum at home, and I’m going to keep the stump there forever,” said Gaud.
England captain Nat Sciver-Brunt admitted that her team was unable to form partnerships and adjust to conditions.
“We didn’t really adapt to the conditions on Day 1. Then didn’t have enough partnerships with the bat. Players did show characters, just a great experience as the first Test at Lord’s.”
The team would want to have a couple more practice sessions before the Test, according to Sciver-Brunt.
“Don’t think so, happy with the toss decision. But we would have liked a couple more days for practice. But cricketers need to be ready for this and the change of format. This is what you sign up for as a cricketer,” she said.
