Excited to play in England with the red ball: Harmanpreet Kaur

After a seven-year hiatus, India Women will play their first Test against England on June 16 in Bristol. The last time India Women played a Test match was in 2014 when they faced South Africa. In another interesting development, India and Australia will square off in a pink-ball Test later this year. The historic Test will be played at the Adelaide Oval. 

In a video posted on the BCCI website, India Test vice-captain Harmanpreet Kaur expressed her excitement at the prospect of donning the Test whites after a long time. 

"Test match is like a dream, I actually want to play many Test matches in my life and I hope we will continue this. Playing in England with the red ball is challenging and we all are excited about it," Kaur was quoted as saying. 

Young batting sensation Smriti Mandhana is raring to get back on the field. “It's quite exciting as we are touring with the Indian team after a long time. We have had tours individually for KSL but really excited to go out there with a bunch of girls," Smriti said. 

Last week, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) unveiled the Test jersey that the team will wear in the one-off Test against England. Smriti described the jersey reveal event as a motivating experience, notably for the youngsters.

“We got to know a lot about the history of women's cricket and also Mithali di spoke about the importance of Test cricket for them. It was quite motivational," the 24-year-old stated. 

Harmanpreet, on the other hand, said it was a great feeling to meet the team members and exchange jerseys after the quarantine period.

“It was a great feeling as we are in quarantine and it was a chance to meet everyone present there. We exchanged the jersey, it was a great feeling, ” she added. 

India Women have arrived in England, where they will face England in a one-off Test, three ODIs, and three T20Is. The tour stretches for over 30 days. 

India Women Tour of England 

• One-off Test: June 16th – 19th at Bristol County Ground

• ODI series

1st ODI: June 27th at Bristol County Ground 

2nd ODI: June 30th at The County Ground

3rd ODI: July 3rd at New Road

• T20I series

1st T20I: July 9th at The County Ground

2nd T20I: July 11th at 1st Central Country Ground

3rd T20I: July 15th at The Cloudfm County Ground