Perth [Australia], March 6 : Australia Women won the toss and opted to bowl first against India Women in their one-off Test, beginning on Thursday at Perth's WACA Ground. Notably, India named four debutants in the pink-ball Test. The match also marks veteran Australian cricketer Alyssa Healy's final international appearance for Australia.
India named Pratika Rawal at No. 3, while their revamped bowling attack features uncapped seamers Kashvee Gautam, Kranti Gaud and Sayali Satghare.
Australia are leading the multi-format series 4-2. While India won the three-match T20I series 2-1, Australia women posted a strong comeback to seal the three-match ODI series 3-0.
At the toss, Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur said that while they also considered bowling first, playing in the conditions is key. She also noted India's four debutants and confirmed the team will include two spinners and three pacers.
"We wanted to bowl first also, but I think batting first or second, you have to come here and face these conditions. So yeah, I mean, it's a great opportunity for us. Hopefully we'll give our best. Yeah, after the T20s we had a bit of a tough time in the ODIs, but it's all about playing your best cricket and hopefully today we'll play our best cricket. We have four debutants today and yeah, we are going with two spinners, three pacers and batters," she said.
After winning the toss, Australia captain Alyssa Healy said they chose to bowl first despite the batting-friendly conditions, highlighting their exciting young pace attack. She also thanked friends, family, and supporters for their messages on her final international cricket match appearance.
"We're going to have a bowl. It's an awkward one to say because it looks very nice out there to bat as a top-order batter, but I think we'll see what's on offer first up with the ball in hand. We've got a young, exciting fast-bowling cartel ready to rip in. I've got lots of friends and family that have come over, lots of people sending through messages, so I will say thank you very much for that," Healy said.
India Women vs Australia Women one-off Test playing 11s:
India Women: Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Pratika Rawal, Harmanpreet Kaur(c), Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh(w), Deepti Sharma, Kashvee Gautam, Sneh Rana, Sayali Satghare, Kranti Gaud.
Australia Women: Phoebe Litchfield, Georgia Voll, Ellyse Perry, Alyssa Healy(c), Annabel Sutherland, Beth Mooney(w), Ashleigh Gardner, Tahlia McGrath, Alana King, Lucy Hamilton, Darcie Brown.