The India Women’s team are gearing up to host England in a three-match T20I series, starting on December 6, 2023. All three matches will be played at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. After this series, India and England will play a Test match at the DY Patil Sports Academy in Navi Mumbai. Ahead of the T20I series opener, Heather Knight, England’s skipper, attended the pre-match press conference and opened up about India and the upcoming challenges.
One-off Test vs India in India after the T20I series. What are your thoughts on that?
Knight: Yes, it is going to be a huge challenge. I am really excited to play a Test match in India. It is one of the things on the bucket list that you want to do. So, it is going to be a challenge and in terms of preparation, we are going to have a day off after back-to-back T20 games. And then, a two-day prep. So, it is going to be a pretty quick turnaround.
But we talked about that. We have done this before, an Ashes Test match at Canberra in 2022 where we had a two-day preparation. So, now it is just about getting your head right and knowing exactly how you are going to approach Test match cricket. We do not know what kind of surface we will get at DY Patil. It was quite handy for the seamers, a bit more bounce for them in the WPL. So, playing a Test match in India will be fun.
How does the DRS protocol work in the England dressing room?
Knight: We are really used to DRS. The bowlers and Amy Jones [wicketkeeper] are the real keys. This is the kind of thing where you have to show trust in your bowler and keeper to work it out.
The Indian crowd will support the home team. So, how are you going to handle that pressure?
Knight: Sometimes, you can feel like when things are rushed. With the crowd, the game starts to go quickly. So, the main aim is to get to that pace and maintain concentration at the moment. I think trying to silence the crowd will be tough. But, watching the World Cup, the passion fans have for India is unparalleled. So, playing in front of the crowd will be a huge challenge, but we will look to focus on what we need to do with proper communication.
How excited are you to play all three matches at the iconic Wankhede Stadium?
Knight: Obviously, the Wankhede Stadium is a lovely place to play. Lovely stadium and really excited to see the crowd in the stands. In the WPL, there was a good amount of support and hopefully, we can silence the crowd.
Do you think of starting the series as favourite?
Knight: No, India is a brilliant team. We had some good T20 games against them. In these playing conditions, they are going to be tough. I have got some experience of playing in India. So, that will be a bit valuable and, I think, it has to be a brilliant series between the two best teams in the world.