England won the toss and chose to bowl first against India in the debut one-off Test at Lord’s Cricket Ground. This match marks the first women’s Test ever played at this iconic venue. England’s captain, Nat Sciver-Brunt, announced the debut of Alice Capsey and Mady Villiers, while it also serves as the final international game for opener Tammy Beaumont.
India’s skipper, Harmanpreet Kaur, revealed that N Sree Charani will make her Test debut as a left-arm spinner, with Yastika Bhatia batting at number three due to Pratika Rawal’s injury. Kaur expressed excitement about the opportunity to score runs and highlighted the significance of playing at Lord’s. The pitch report by Simon Doull mentioned a 7mm grass covering that will aid seamers early on, with the ball expected to slide on at medium pace.
The playing XIs for the match are as follows: India – Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Yastika Bhatia, Harmanpreet Kaur (captain), Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh (wicket-keeper), Deepti Sharma, Sayali Satghare, Sneh Rana, N Sree Charani, and Kranti Gaud. England – Tammy Beaumont, Maia Bouchier, Heather Knight, Nat Sciver-Brunt (captain), Alice Capsey, Amy Jones (wicket-keeper), Mady Villiers, Sophie Ecclestone, Issy Wong, Lauren Bell, and Lauren Filer.
