Before the start of the play on Day 1, Female Cricket caught up with Jaya Sharma and Suman Sharma to discuss the toss, playing conditions, playing XI of both sides, players to watch out for, and score predictions at the end of the day’s play.
Just a day before the game, the ECB announced that the Test will be played on a used pitch. The aforementioned pitch hosted a T20 Blast game on June 11. This news attracted a lot of attention from fans and cricket experts across the board. Commenting on the pitch that will see the Test match, Jaya said, “I think it will have an impact on the probable combinations that the teams will play. There will be boot marks which will assist the spinners.”
Suman Sharma added, “Since it is a used pitch, the ball might come slower on to the bat. So the spinners will play an important role.”
Talking about the conditions, Jaya said, “Historically it is known to be a batting-friendly wicket. However, in Test cricket, as the game progresses, it aids the spinners. It will be interesting to see how the two teams approach the match.”
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Commenting on the probability of rains on June 17 and June 18, Suman said, “It will be on the captain’s mind. Toss will be crucial. It will be important to see which team wins the toss.”
After England won the toss and elected to bat first, Jaya Sharma said, “England will know that they have to put up a good score on board and give their bowlers a decent amount of runs to play with. With rain forecast over the next few days, the home team will look to bat big and ensure that they are in a dominant position.”
Suman Sharma added, “English batters will play session by session, I think. Once they get used to the conditions, they will take the attack to the opposition.”
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Expressing her thoughts on England playing XI, Jaya said, “Expected side. They look good on paper and they will certainly look to fight hard in this Test match.”
Expressing her thoughts on India playing XI, Jaya said, “Quite an interesting pick. I think Sneh Rana has been picked for her ability to bat as well and maybe India wants to strengthen their batting. She is fresh from a prolific domestic season. Though I am a bit surprised, India has not gone ahead with Ekta Bisht and Poonam Yadav. England is packed with right-hand batters. So playing two off-spinners in Deepti Sharma and Sneh Rana is a tricky one for me.”
Suman added, “India has definitely strengthened their batting order. They bat all the way till number 11. In the recent past, our lower order has not contributed much with the bat. So I think they want to take care of that aspect. And yes, talking about Sneh Rana, she is a genuine all-rounder, who can contribute well with both bat and ball.”
Watch the analysis of Day 1 on #FemaleCricketLive here
I am a former cricketer having represented Mumbai University at All India University level. I was a part of MCA probables for the U-19 and U-23 age group. I have been an avid cricket writer for the last five years. Currently I am pursuing my Ph.D from IIT Bombay.
