Ind vs SA 2024 – Harmanpreet Kaur-led India enter Chennai Test with eye on Women’s ODI World Cup 2025

“As a team, it’s a great opportunity for us,” said Harmanpreet on the eve of the Test. “We are getting used to home conditions… even if it is home conditions, we don’t have much experience here. But I think this series of matches will give us a lot of confidence to see how the wicket will behave and what combinations we can look at [for the World Cup]. Before the World Cup, with [about] with one year left, I think as a team we take this opportunity with both hands whenever we play a home series. It’s a good opportunity to see what the wickets are like and how we can improve our skills.”

“In the long format you have to be there [in the middle] four days. But if you think like that as a player you can overthink it. Last time [we played a Test] we only thought about winning sessions and that really helped us. Once again we will focus on each session. The best thing about test cricket is that you have time to come back. If you miss one session, you always have time [make up for] things.

“This is the key point our support staff told us: ‘just focus on each session and if you can [break it] up to two to two and a half hours, think about how you will do as a player’. I think that really helps, [rather] rather than thinking that it is 100 overs [roughly per day] a game that makes you overthink. Those little points really helped us win the last two Tests and we want to keep going [to apply] those.”

“I didn’t have much experience in Test cricket when I became the captain in those two Tests,” said Harmanpreet. “Amol sir help me. You have played many Test matches [red-ball] cricket and has a lot of experience. With his experience, he has helped me with things like making decisions on the field. I have a little idea now.

“We don’t have a lot of information about how the Chennai wicket will play. We’ve seen it when the men play but women’s cricket is completely different… the pace, the way we bowl and bat, I think you know when we get on the pitch tomorrow, we’ll see how the pitch behaves as well let’s make decisions experienced staff will help us.