Mandhana looks forward to playing first home Test since 2014

MUMBAI: Smriti Mandhana looks ahead to wearing the whites as India faces England on December 14 (tomorrow) in their first home cricket Test in nine years.

India last played a women’s Test match back in 2021 versus Australia where Mandhana walked away with the Player of the Match award. She scored a classy hundred in the first innings of the pink ball Test. Her career features four Tests, with 325 runs at an average of 46.42.

As India prepares to host their first Women’s Test match since 2014, vice-captain Mandhana spoke in the pre-match press conference about the rise of women’s cricket and how things stand differently in comparison to the past.

“I think [we’re] definitely very excited. We played [at home] last in 2014 back in Mysore against South Africa. A lot of things have changed for women’s cricket, especially post 2017 after that phase. We could see that change also at Wankhede when we were playing the T20s, the kind of crowds which have come in, and the kind of support we are getting, plus the pay equality and all of that things, definitely women’s cricket is on the rise.

“More than that, I think we are really excited to wear whites again at home soil and go out there and represent India in whites. I think it’s a different feeling altogether.”

Mandhana delved into the details of adapting, both mentally and physically, to a format that the team does not play regularly.

“It requires both the aspects, the mental and the physical because bodies are not used to playing four back-to-back days of cricket because we generally play T20s and One-Days a lot more which has gaps but I think playing two back-to-back T20s was something which we were already getting mentally prepared because I think more than physical part being four days mentally there, active, trying to focus [on] each and every ball.”