The Indian Women’s cricket team will kickstart their tour of England with a one-off Test match against England at Bristol from June 16. Sarah Waris takes a look at the probable XI for the game.

The side, led by Mithali Raj, will play a Test match after a long gap of seven years. The women’s team have won their last three Test matches, including two in England, but the three matches were spread across eight years.

We take a look at the Indian Women’s probable XI for the upcoming clash.

Openers

Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma

A lot of excitement surrounds the possible Test debut of power-hitter Shafali Verma against England. The youngster, who is yet to make her debut in ODI cricket, could be given a look-in at the top of the order. At just 17 years of age, Shafali has wowed fans and pundits with her aggressive strokeplay, and if she continues playing her natural game, she could be a game-changer.

Shafali’s presence means that Jemimah Rodrigues might have to warm the benches for the game. The youngster is not in the greatest form of late and might be overlooked for Shafali. Smriti Mandhana, who played the last Test match against South Africa in 2014, is certain to be the other opener.

Middle-order

Mithali Raj, Punam Raut and Harmanpreet Kaur

Mithali Raj is expected to bat at the number three spot as she can anchor the innings to perfection in case of an early wicket. One of the most experienced players in the squad, Mithali has played 10 Test matches thus far, scoring 663 runs with the help of one hundred and four fifties.

Punam Raut had smashed a hundred in her last Test innings, against South Africa in 2014, and will bring experience into the batting unit. She had looked in excellent touch in the recent series against South Africa in March, scoring two fifties and an unbeaten 104 in five ODI innings.

Harmanpreet Kaur is set to bat at five and will be eager to overturn her poor run of form with a match-winning knock at Bristol.

All-rounders

Deepti Sharma, Shikha Pandey, Taniya Bhatia (wk)

Deepti Sharma has plenty of experience of playing in English conditions — having played in the Kia Super League previously. She has been an underrated performer for the side in the last few years, contributing with both bat and ball.

Shikha Pandey’s experience will come in handy for the side that will take the field with a number of newcomers. Shikha is likely to pair with Jhulan Goswami and take the new ball. She can also be a crucial batter lower down the order, as she showed the last time the women’s team played a Test in England.

Taniya Bhatia is undoubtedly one of the swiftest keepers in world cricket currently. Though she is yet to live up to her potential as a batter, Bhatia should get a place in the XI courtesy of her glovework.

Bowlers

Jhulan Goswami, Poonam Yadav, Pooja Vastrakar

Jhulan will lead the pace attack in conditions that will assist swing bowling. She has been a veteran of the game in India and will want to bow out on a high in what could be her last trip to England.

Poonam Yadav is expected to be the sole frontline spinner in the side, considering there will not be much assistance for the slower bowlers. The player has done well in Australia and West Indies in the recent past, albeit in a different format.

The Indian Women’s team is unlikely to field two specialist spinners in their XI, considering Deepti and Harmanpreet can contribute with the ball as well. The last spot, thus, could be a toss-up between Pooja Vastrakar or Arundhati Reddy, with the former being the frontrunner to play the game as she can contribute with the bat lower down the order.

India Women Probable XI:

Shafali Verma, Smriti Mandhana, Mithali Raj, Punam Raut, Harmanpreet Kaur, Deepti Sharma, Shikha Pandey, Taniya Bhatia, Poonam Yadav, Jhulan Goswami, and Pooja Vastrakar

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