England vs India women's Test - Heather Knight: Would have preferred to play on a fresh wicket

England Women captain Heather Knight is excited to have fans back for the one-off Test against India starting June 16 in Bristol.

Published : Jun 15, 2021 16:17 IST

Given that Test matches in the women's game are a rare sight, Knight said the team wished to handle a winning approach and entertain the crowds along the way.

England skipper Heather Knight said her side would have preferred to take on India in the one-off Test starting on Wednesday in Bristol on a fresh wicket.

"It is a used wicket. It was used for a Gloucestershire T20 game. Not ideal. We would have liked a fresh wicket. We found out last week and tried to get it changed, but it was too late. We don't know how it's going to play, but it is what it is. No point moaning about it," the 30-year-old said.

The focus on the wicket took her back to speculations in the past about the pitch at Taunton where the women would play. "there was a lot of talk about the pitch and it didn't do too much. We'll have to wait and see. We will try and adapt as much as we can. We have to play on the pitch we've been given," she added.

Besides the fact the side gets some time in red ball cricket this week, Knight is excited to have the fans back on the ground for the game. "Having fans back is going to be lovely. Each one of us is desperate to be the player that puts up a big performance this week," she said. READ:

 

Given that Test matches in the women's game are a rare sight, Knight said the team wished to handle a winning approach and entertain the crowds along the way.

"The women's game is judged to a different standard to the men's. We don't want to be known as a boring side. Our job as a team is to win matches. Obviously we want to be entertaining and put on a show. If we can do both, even better," the England captain said.

 

The right-hander is happy to get dedicated time to get her technique right ahead of the Test. "Usually we get red ball cricket stuck in between a tour and don't get to dedicatedly practice as much..."

Knight has also been working on her bowling to counter the aggression the Indian lineup boasts of. "I've been working on my bowling. I had a back issue a while back and have been building on it. I feel like I can do the job for the team," she added.

While remaining tight-lipped about the team selection, Knight confirmed that the squad is injury-free. "Girls have been very competitive. I think we are in a position of building up some good depth in the squad. We are confident we have the right XI to go into this game with," she added.

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Asked who she was personally looking forward to facing in the Indian bowling arsenal, Knight picked pace spearhead Jhulan Goswami.

"I imagine it will be Jhulan Goswami's final tour of England. She's a world class bowler and I am looking forward to facing her and hope I come out on top," she said.