Harmanpreet Kaur faces a significant challenge as she gears up for more home Tests in December against England and Australia in Mumbai. Despite a remarkable international career spanning 14 years and 285 matches, the Indian captain has surprisingly played only one home Test in her entire career, back in 2014 against South Africa.
She showcased her talent by taking nine wickets in that game, contributing to a substantial innings victory. Since then, she has participated in only one Test match in 2021 against England and a total of three Tests overall.
Harmanpreet is playing in the WBBL
Harmanpreet Kaur faces an extra challenge with the upcoming Tests because of her busy schedule. She’s currently playing in the WBBL in Australia for the Melbourne Renegades. After finishing her commitments there, she only has ten days to prepare for the T20I series against England before the Test series begins on December 14.
This tight timeline makes her preparation more demanding. Her teammates, Tammy Beaumont from England and Georgia Wareham from Australia, are also facing similar time constraints in their preparations for the respective Test matches against India.
Despite Australia’s initial hopes of providing their bowlers with Test-match practice during the WBBL, the plans changed from a day-night Test to a red-ball game. Harmanpreet, who missed India’s last Test against Australia in late 2021 due to a thumb injury, used the time to observe the game and gain insights into playing long-form cricket.
The upcoming match will be the first women game at MCG
Reflecting on her return to the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) for the Melbourne derby, Harmanpreet expressed her excitement. The upcoming match will be the first women’s game at the MCG since the historic 2020 T20 World Cup final, where she captained India against Australia. She considers it an honor to play at one of the best stadiums, having previously experienced the thrill during the T20 World Cup final and other games against Australia.
