Harmanpreet Kaur hopes Lord's Test can heal Women's T20 World Cup wounds
ENGW vs INDW: Harmanpreet Kaur hopes India's one-off Test against England at Lord's will help the team move on from the disappointment of the Women's T20 World Cup and rediscover its rhythm in the longest format.
India captain Harmanpreet Kaur believes the one-off Test against England at Lord’s offers her side the perfect opportunity to put behind the disappointment of the Women’s T20 World Cup and rediscover its rhythm in the longest format.
India endured a difficult campaign at the T20 World Cup in England, falling short of expectations despite arriving at the tournament as one of the favourites. The setback has left Harmanpreet’s side searching for answers, but the prospect of featuring in the first-ever women’s Test at Lord’s has injected fresh enthusiasm into the squad.
“It was a very hard moment for all of us because we really prepared hard for the World Cup, but unfortunately we didn't give our best. This Test match was something which kept us very excited. We all came together as a group and wanted to give our best for this match,” Harmanpreet said in the pre-match press conference.
“Right now everyone looks in a good space and hopefully we'll enjoy our cricket.”
The occasion carries immense significance for India as well. Lord’s, which has hosted 150 men’s Tests since 1884, is staging a women’s Test for the first time, 50 years after it welcomed its first women’s international match.
India will also draw confidence from their recent exploits in red-ball cricket. Under Harmanpreet Kaur, India scripted a historic victory over Australia in Mumbai in 2023 before crushing South Africa by 10 wickets in Chennai in 2024 after posting 603 for six declared, the highest total in the history of women’s Test cricket.
‘WE DEFINITELY WANT TO PLAY MORE TEST CRICKET’
While the Lord’s clash has generated excitement among players, Harmanpreet reiterated that women cricketers want more opportunities in the traditional format.
“As a cricketer, we definitely want to be part of many Test matches. But I think that's totally the higher authorities' call. Till now, I have seen all the highs and lows, and I have seen women's cricket growing all these years. I think we are in the right hands, and they're the right ones to take the call,” she said.
The India captain added that the game was moving in the right direction, with women’s cricket gradually embracing longer formats. Harmanpreet described playing a Test at Lord’s as a dream come true and admitted that she was surprised to learn that the venue had never hosted a women’s Test before.
“But if you ask me as a player, I definitely want to play lots of cricket and don't want to sit at home doing nothing. We are enjoying our time, we are quite busy, and in between we are getting opportunities.”
“Last March also we played one Test and now tomorrow we're going to get one more Test. I think things are going the right way and hopefully, in future, we'll see many more Test matches coming up,” Harmanpreet added.
India have endured a difficult run of results in recent months. After a 5-0 series sweep of Sri Lanka at home and a 2-1 triumph in Australia, Harmanpreet Kaur's side lost 1-4 to South Africa before suffering a 2-1 T20I series defeat to England and falling short at the World Cup. India will now hope to put those disappointments behind them with a strong showing at Lord's.
India captain Harmanpreet Kaur believes the one-off Test against England at Lord’s offers her side the perfect opportunity to put behind the disappointment of the Women’s T20 World Cup and rediscover its rhythm in the longest format.
India endured a difficult campaign at the T20 World Cup in England, falling short of expectations despite arriving at the tournament as one of the favourites. The setback has left Harmanpreet’s side searching for answers, but the prospect of featuring in the first-ever women’s Test at Lord’s has injected fresh enthusiasm into the squad.
“It was a very hard moment for all of us because we really prepared hard for the World Cup, but unfortunately we didn't give our best. This Test match was something which kept us very excited. We all came together as a group and wanted to give our best for this match,” Harmanpreet said in the pre-match press conference.
“Right now everyone looks in a good space and hopefully we'll enjoy our cricket.”
The occasion carries immense significance for India as well. Lord’s, which has hosted 150 men’s Tests since 1884, is staging a women’s Test for the first time, 50 years after it welcomed its first women’s international match.
India will also draw confidence from their recent exploits in red-ball cricket. Under Harmanpreet Kaur, India scripted a historic victory over Australia in Mumbai in 2023 before crushing South Africa by 10 wickets in Chennai in 2024 after posting 603 for six declared, the highest total in the history of women’s Test cricket.
‘WE DEFINITELY WANT TO PLAY MORE TEST CRICKET’
While the Lord’s clash has generated excitement among players, Harmanpreet reiterated that women cricketers want more opportunities in the traditional format.
“As a cricketer, we definitely want to be part of many Test matches. But I think that's totally the higher authorities' call. Till now, I have seen all the highs and lows, and I have seen women's cricket growing all these years. I think we are in the right hands, and they're the right ones to take the call,” she said.
The India captain added that the game was moving in the right direction, with women’s cricket gradually embracing longer formats. Harmanpreet described playing a Test at Lord’s as a dream come true and admitted that she was surprised to learn that the venue had never hosted a women’s Test before.
“But if you ask me as a player, I definitely want to play lots of cricket and don't want to sit at home doing nothing. We are enjoying our time, we are quite busy, and in between we are getting opportunities.”
“Last March also we played one Test and now tomorrow we're going to get one more Test. I think things are going the right way and hopefully, in future, we'll see many more Test matches coming up,” Harmanpreet added.
India have endured a difficult run of results in recent months. After a 5-0 series sweep of Sri Lanka at home and a 2-1 triumph in Australia, Harmanpreet Kaur's side lost 1-4 to South Africa before suffering a 2-1 T20I series defeat to England and falling short at the World Cup. India will now hope to put those disappointments behind them with a strong showing at Lord's.
