India ladies’s Test vice-captain says the group obtained priceless tips about setting up a Test innings from her male counterpart, Ajinkya Rahane
“I’ve played only two red-ball matches [in international cricket]. As a batting group when we have a discussion… this time we got a chance to speak to Rahane as well,” Kaur, the India Test vice-captain, mentioned of her “easy and friendly talk” together with her male counterpart in Southampton, the place each the Indian groups served a tough quarantine upon arriving within the UK on June 3. “He shared his knowledge with us as to how to approach batting in the longest format and how one should divide their innings into parts.
“We may not have much observe beneath our belt [going into the Test], but mentally [we are prepared]. We’ve mentioned numerous issues so we put together ourselves properly for the match. Even within the nets, we have tried to be in a superb mind set as a result of if you end up completely happy, apart from pondering too much about your batting, you are inclined to play properly.”
The women’s team arrived in Bristol on Monday for the one-off Test against hosts England that begins on Wednesday. The opening fixture of a seven-match multi-format assignment, the Test marks India’s first outing in the format since the one-off Test at home against South Africa in November 2014. On the domestic circuit, the last multi-day women’s competition – the Senior Women’s Inter-Zonal Three-Day Game – was held in March-April 2018, in Thiruvananthapuram.
Kaur admitted that inadequate preparedness heading into the tour wasn’t ideal, but welcomed the revival of Test cricket for her team.
“Whatever time we have got [since coming out of quarantine], we have tried to simulate match situations as much as attainable and tried to maintain ourselves in the most effective mind set,” Kaur said. “We did not get much time to arrange, or any observe video games. Individually, it is crucial to adapt to the scenario.
“We’ve never tried tinkering too much with Shafali because she is a natural player, and if you try talking too much technique or game planning with her, she can get disturbed because she is only 17”
Harmanpreet Kaur is all for letting Shafali Verma develop her personal manner
“The surfaces are different to what we get in India. We’ve practised against the swinging ball in the nets. We have a further two days – today and tomorrow – to prepare ourselves better for the match, so I hope we’ll be able to do that well.
“It’s a completely totally different situation [to playing with the white ball]. I do know we did not even get any home video games with the pink ball. In the upcoming season and years we’ll get extra pink-ball cricket additionally, which is an excellent signal for us.”
Kaur said that in the practice sessions India have had so far, the Kookaburra didn’t pose much challenge.
“Dealing with a Kookaburra did not really feel too totally different as a result of the ball dimension and weight is roughly the identical [as the white ball we use in limited-overs cricket]. The final time we performed [a Test], we felt the pink ball was a bit heavier than the white variant, which makes you depend on your timing extra. But the Kookaburra white and pink ball feels the identical; simply the color is totally different. We felt good taking part in with it as a result of if you’re in whites and also you play with the pink ball, it is a completely totally different feeling.”
“We’ve by no means tried tinkering too much with Shafali as a result of she is a pure participant, and when you strive speaking too much approach or sport planning together with her, she will be able to get disturbed as a result of she is just 17 years outdated,” Kaur said. “To burden her with too many ideas is not the appropriate factor.
“All of us try to create a good environment for her to be able to feel less pressured and be able to enjoy her cricket well. She was looking great in the nets, and I hope if she gets a chance to play she’ll do better.”
“She is someone who always takes the lead whenever we’re on the field,” Kaur mentioned. “She’s always [been] special for us because her quota [of overs] is [important]. She will always give us breakthroughs whenever we need. Not only her but all the bowlers are very important because in Test matches you need breakthroughs, and I think she will be fantastic in this match also.”
“My interactions with him have been the same [as before]. He is someone who’s involved in the game all the time and expects the same of the players. Whenever you speak to him, you feel like you’re in a match. He asks you to imagine yourself in a match situation and figure out how you would react to it.
“I get numerous data chatting with him as a result of he, too, has performed numerous cricket, together with T20 cricket. So the expertise is identical. Whatever we had carried out in 2018, we’re repeating these issues now as properly.”
Annesha Ghosh is a sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo. @ghosh_annesha
