Harmanpreet Kaur expressed her anticipation for the upcoming home Tests as India gears up to face England starting December 14 in Navi Mumbai and Australia from December 21 in Mumbai.
Highlighting the significance of these Tests, Kaur noted that this series marks her return to playing in front of a home crowd after her last home Test in 2014 against South Africa. Out of the three Test matches she’s represented India in, that remains her sole appearance in a home Test.
Expressing her excitement, she mentioned to ESPNcricinfo, “The Test series is something which we are really looking forward to because I haven’t played in front of a home crowd [since 2014], so I’m really excited for that.”
However, she acknowledged the challenge posed by the lack of red-ball cricket exposure in domestic matches, recognizing the difficulty in preparing for the format within a short span. “The challenge for us is that we haven’t played with the red ball. We have been playing with the white ball for so many years, even in domestic cricket also we don’t have red-ball cricket back home. So the challenge for us is to make yourself ready in such a short time,” she explained.
Currently participating in the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) for the Melbourne Renegades, Kaur discussed her plan to prepare for the Women’s Test following the WBBL. She emphasised the need to dedicate a specific period for red-ball practice due to the considerable differences in the game format.
“I had that thought if I can simultaneously do some red-ball practice also, but because it’s such a packed schedule you can’t mix things. We’re playing T20 cricket and the Test game is a totally different kind of game, so I didn’t want to mix it. When I’m going back, I have ten days to prepare myself,” she added.
Beyond the Test match, India is set to engage in a series of three ODIs and three T20Is against Australia.