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Ahead of his side's historic one-off Test against England at Lord's, Indian women's team head coach Amol Muzumdar urged his side to put aside the disappointment of not reaching the ICC Women's T20 World Cup semifinals and focus on the present.
India crashed to back-to-back group stage exits in the ICC Women's T20 World Cup in 2024 and this year, with losses to South Africa and Australia, the sides they had overcome in the final and semifinal during their landmark ICC Womens' 50-over World Cup triumph this year. However, this Test match presents a big opportunity for Women in Blue to make an impact in whites at an iconic venue known as 'The Home of Cricket'. Speaking ahead of the match as quoted by Cricinfo, Muzumdar said, "What is gone, we cannot change it. We have discussed it within the squad. All we need to do is look forward and prepare the best we can for the event ahead. So I guess that has been the talk. I am sure all the players are looking forward for the Test match. Just leave aside the disappointment and get into the present." On being questioned about playing Test cricket, which Team India does not get to often, Muzumdar simply said that the team needs to enjoy the occasion. England, their opponents, have not played a Test match since last year in January, while for India, it will be their second for this year after a crushing 10-wicket loss to Australia at Perth. He also spoke on the first WC win being "always special" and so will be the first Test match at Lord's for his side. "Just looking forward to the next four to five years, what women's cricket will bring. You never know," he said. "Just have to explore those dynamics [of playing women's Tests]. And the more we do it, the more people turn up, the more popular the women's game becomes, the better it is for everyone. So, I guess this Lord's Test Match is a special one," he signed off. India have suffered a setback ahead of their one-off Test against England at Lord's, with Pratika Rawal ruled out due to a knee injury. Head coach Amol Muzumdar confirmed during the press conference that Rawal had suffered a cut on her knee which required stitches, while also announcing the addition of Priya Punia to the squad as cover, as per ICC. Punia, who is available for selection immediately, impressed during the recent India 'A' series with two half-centuries and is yet to make her Test debut. Rawal's injury is another setback in what has otherwise been a promising start to her international career. The batter played an important role during India's maiden ICC Women's Cricket World Cup triumph on home soil last year but missed the knockout stages after suffering an ankle injury during the final league match against Bangladesh. India Squad: Smriti Mandhana, Yastika Bhatia, Harleen Deol, Richa Ghosh (wk), Priya Punia, Jemimah Rodrigues, Pratika Rawal, Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Sneh Rana, Sayali Satghare, Shafali Verma, Deepti Sharma, Kranti Gaud, Renuka Singh, Nandani Sharma, Shree Charani. (ANI)
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