As Indian women's team set to take on England in the one-off Test, vice-captain Harmanpreet Kaur on Monday (June 14) said the squad is mentally prepared for the challenge, especially after "picking the brains" of red-ball specialist Ajinkya Rahane.
The four-day Test is scheduled to get underway on June 16 in Bristol. It will be the first outing for Indian women’s team in the longest format of the game in seven years.
"I have not played much of red-ball cricket, I have played just two Tests. This time we got a chance to speak to Ajinkya Rahane, we picked his brains on how to bat in the longer format, mentally we are prepared," Harmanpreet said during a virtual press conference.
"Even in the nets, we try to be in the right frame of mind. When you are happy, you play good cricket. We try to play to our strengths.
"We had an easy and friendly talk with Rahane, he is very experienced, we had a chance to talk to him and we did exactly that," he added.
Elaborating on the interaction with Rahane, Harmanpreet said, "Rahane has so much experience, he shared them with us, offered us tips on how to bat, what kind approach should we have to batting because it's long format, how to break your inning in parts..."
According to Harmanpreet, it is important for the players to adapt quickly to the conditions in UK as they did not get enough practice with the red ball.
"I know we did not get much time to prepare, we did not get enough time to practice but, as players, we need to adapt. Wickets here are different, today and tomorrow, we need to do the needful to prepare ourselves.
"Well, it is totally different scenario when you play red-ball cricket, it is important to get used to the conditions. We did not get domestic games with the red ball, but, in the coming seasons and years, we will get more red-ball games, which is a very good sign," she said.
"We need to feel good and happy instead of thinking too much about our batting. We have to play to our strengths, continue to play the way we have been playing so far."
One of her two Test matches was the memorable win against England in 2014. Asked about playing a Test match after such a long time, Harmanpreet said, "As a batter, there is only one approach: watch the ball and react.
"I know I have played more T20Is and ODIs, don't have enough experience of Test cricket. But I know the game is about patience and spending as much time as possible at the crease.
"For me as well as others, the approach will be same: watch the ball and react."
"Wickets will aid swing and for that we practised in the nets. We have two more days to prepare ourselves in the best possible manner for the match.
Talking about veteran pacer Jhulan Goswami's role in the squad, Harmanpreet said, "She is someone who will always take the lead, she will always give us breakthroughs whenever we needed them.
(With PTI inputs)
