After an underwhelming effort in the T20Is, Harmanpreet Kaur-led India will now shift to a format in which they have an undeniable edge over England, and a seasoned spin attack will be their primary weapon to maintain that advantage as the one-off women’s Test between them will pan out over four days here from Thursday. History, an unavoidable part of sport, offers a large slice of comfort to India as they have lost only one Test to England in 14 matches since their rivalry started in 1986 and Harmanpreet, who is leading India in Tests for the first time, would want to keep that proud record intact. Indian women’s last appearance against Heather Knight’s England had ended in a draw at Bristol in June 2021. Mandhana made a first-innings 78 while a young Shafali Verma was the top-performer with 96 and 63.
