Ahead of the historic one-off Test against England at Lord's, Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur urged cricket's governing bodies to schedule more Test matches for women.
The expansion of the women's game faces a tricky scheduling disparity, as Harmanpreet’s team has played only seven Tests in the 2020s compared to the men's 58. With the global calendar increasingly favoring shorter formats, the long-term viability and regularity of women's Test cricket remain a subject of active debate.
However, Harmanpreet emphasized that players want to actively compete in the longest format rather than just sit at home, though she believes the sport is moving in the right direction.
"As a cricketer, we definitely want to be part of many Test matches. But I think that's totally the higher authorities' call. Till now, I have seen all the highs and lows, and I have seen women's cricket growing all these years. I think we are in the right hands, and they're the right ones to take the call," Harmanpreet said in the pre-match presser.
"But if you ask me as a player, I definitely want to play lots of cricket and don't want to sit at home doing nothing. We are enjoying our time, we are quite busy, and in between we are getting opportunities. Last March also we played one Test and now tomorrow we're going to get one more Test. I think things are going the right way and hopefully, in future, we'll see many more Test matches coming up," she added.
The Indian skipper noted that the sport's domestic structure shifted heavily toward white-ball games in recent years, making Test preparation challenging. However, she remains optimistic that BCCI's interest will bring back a robust multi-day domestic competition.
"We do need domestic red-ball cricket because earlier we used to have it, but now we play a lot of white-ball cricket. We shifted more towards the white-ball game," Kaur said. "Now the board is showing so much interest in red-ball cricket and definitely we are going to get back our domestic competition.
"These Test matches are very important and I would love to have some more time to prepare as a team. Last time when domestic cricket was played, many of us weren't there because we were playing international cricket, but some of the girls got that opportunity. If we get some good quality time to prepare and then go there and execute ourselves, that can be more practical. Whatever is in our hands, we are just trying to do our best."
Surprisingly, this is the very first women's Test match to be held at Lord’s, and Harmanpreet Kaur expressed her excitement over playing at the iconic venue.
"It's a very big moment for all of us. As a captain and as a player, I'm really looking forward to this opportunity. As kids, we always dream about playing Test matches and playing at Lord's is one of those dreams. I'm so happy that we got this opportunity. All the girls are very excited and, as a team, we're really looking forward to it," she stated.
"We were discussing that after so many years this match is finally happening. It took us so many years to feel that women can also be part of a Test match at Lord's. I wasn't aware of this, and I was surprised. But I look at it this way - maybe it's late, but not too late. I'm still playing and still getting this opportunity to be part of this historic day. I'm really looking forward to it."
India will enter the contest after facing a group-stage exit in the recent Women’s T20 World Cup campaign, but Harmanpreet stressed the dressing room had quickly shifted its focus to the red-ball challenge.
"It was a very hard moment for all of us because we really prepared hard for the World Cup, but unfortunately we didn't give our best," she said. "This Test match was something which kept us very excited. We all came together as a group and wanted to give our best for this match. Right now everyone looks in a good space and hopefully we'll enjoy our cricket."
India have emerged victorious in their last two Tests against England and Harmanpreet highlighted her team's high confidence ahead of the marquee fixture at Lord’s.
"Our last two Tests have been very, very good for us and we've always played good cricket against them," she said. "It's only about giving your best and going with a good frame of mind. We all decided to stay together and just give our best. We may not be that used to playing Test matches, but we enjoy them so much. Even during the photoshoot yesterday, everybody was so excited wearing the white kit. That excitement is there. Now it's only about going out there and enjoying ourselves."
(With Cricbuzz Inputs)
