The Indian opener, Smriti Mandhana while watching the men’s team playing the Day-night Tests, she never thought she will ever be able to experience the same. The statement from the southpaw comes days after BCCI announced a maiden pink-ball Day-Night Test for the Indian women’s cricket team. The historic Test match will be played during India Women’s multi-format tour of Australia.
During a recent chat with ESPNCricinfo, Smriti Mandhana said, “Frankly, when I used to watch day-night Tests of men, I actually never felt that I will be able to experience this moment. So, when it got declared, I was like, ‘Oh, wow. That’s going to be crazy. I remember playing my first day-night one-day or T20 match. I was pretty excited, like a small kid. I was like, ‘Wow, we’ll be able to play a day-night match and all of that.”
ALSO READ: A Video Of Mushfiqur Rahim Getting Angry At The Bowler Gets Viral
He further added, “Now that we are going to play a day-night match, (we have) lots of things to work on but (there’s a) lot of excitement about being part of a day-night Test match, and that too in Australia, against Australia, it’s always a good challenge. It’s going to be a great moment for the Indian women’s cricket team.”
Overall, the match will be the second Day-Night Test to be played between two women’s cricket teams. The first one was played between England and Australia in Sydney in 2017. It will be the first Test match for the Indian team after the one they played in 2006 in Adelaide. Australia and India have played 9 Tests, with Australia winning 4 of them and the other five being drawn. Also, the Indian women’s team will play 2 Test matches in a single year for the first time after 2014.
Team India will be playing a Test match against England in Bristol scheduled to be starting on June 16. While she is excited about facing the pink ball, Mandhana said the focus right now is the Test against England, starting June 16.
Talking about the Day-night Test further, Smriti Mandhana said, “It’s too early at the moment. It’s just going to be a process. You have to get adapted to it. It’s too early for us to start the pink-ball preparations because the match is three-four months later. At the moment it’s more about the England Test match, the Duke’s ball, and all of that stuff, so let’s see.”
ALSO READ: Axar Patel Knew His Super-over Against SRH Can Make Him Either Hero Or Zero
She further added, “When we got to know of the first Test, against England, the whole team was really excited. We all were looking forward (to it). The last Test match I was part of was in 2014, so it’s been quite a long time, we haven’t gone out in whites, so that excitement of playing a Test match (after nearly seven years) was on another level.”
