England is scheduled to play a four-day match against India from December 14–17 at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai. This would be the first women’s Test in India since 2014. Three Twenty20 Internationals and a Test match between England and India are scheduled for December, and from what ESPNcricinfo can gather, Maharashtra will host the remainder of the tour.
In an effort to maximize attendance, the T20Is and Test will be played at Wankhede Stadium on December 6, 9, and 10. The Test will be played at DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai starting on December 14. The dates will shortly be released to the public pending final approval.
“Playing a Test match in India is an amazing experience for many players,” England seamer Kate Cross told ESPNcricinfo from her location in Bangalore, where she is working as a broadcaster for the men’s World Cup. “I’ve been in India for a couple of weeks now and you can see that girls have role models in that team now.”
The last time the England women visited India was in 2019. They won the T20I series 3-0 in Guwahati after losing the ODI portion of the tour 2-1 at the Wankhede. Cross recalls, “We played in front of over 12,000 people in Guwahati.” “It will be an incredible opportunity to return here and compete as a squad representing England.
“It is clear that the Women’s Premier League (WPL) has contributed to the expansion of the women’s game. You want to be playing in front of large crowds after the summer we just had with the Ashes, and interest in women’s cricket in India is only growing. A good advertising campaign will draw viewers.”
Brabourne Stadium, which is next to the Wankhede, and the DY Patil Stadium are two locations in Maharashtra where the BCCI hosted the entire first season of the WPL earlier this year. The state is quickly becoming as a centre for Indian women’s cricket.
India is the next stop on Australia’s women’s tour following England. The T20Is would be played at the DY Patil, while the Test and ODI matches of that visit will take place at the Wankhede, according to a report published earlier this month by Code Sports.
England is set to arrive in India on December 2nd, while some players may arrive in India a day or two later if they are playing in the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) final. There are at least one English player in every club and fifteen players overall in the WBBL.
A warm-weather training camp in Oman will begin in mid-November for players who are not participating in the WBBL to help them get ready for the tour. Cross described the season as “brutal.” “At the back end of it I was really quite tired but I’m ready to go again now: I’ve been champing at the bit to pick a ball up again.”
India has only hosted one women’s Test match in the 18 years after England’s last visit, which took place in 2005. In that match, India defeated South Africa in an innings in 2014. India’s women’s team played their first Test matches in two years, drawing teams from Australia and England.
“I’m always crying out to play more Test cricket,” Cross stated. “I adore it, and I want to play it more, experiment with different settings, and challenge myself. It tests your fundamental abilities, and I take great satisfaction in that. My ability to repeat and, hopefully, be somewhat consistent with the ball is what I can offer a team.”
Over the past ten years, England has outplayed India in terms of frequency of play, having played nine Tests overall, none of which were in Asia. Alice Capsey and Sophia Dunkley were among the batters who traveled to Mumbai earlier this month for a session under head coach Jon Lewis, which concentrated on their batting against spin.
Under the leadership of Mumbai men’s head coach Amol Muzumdar, a former batting coach for the Rajasthan Royals, this will be India’s maiden series. On Wednesday night, Mazumdar’s selection as the women’s coach of India was officially announced.
An England A series, perhaps consisting of three Twenty20 matches in Mumbai beginning in late November, will also be a part of the tour. The senior squad players who are not playing in the WBBL, as well as the England A team, are scheduled to visit Oman early next month.
