IND-W vs SA-W: Points system in multi-format series will make them more challenging, says India captain Harmanpreet

India women will play South Africa in three ODIs in Bengaluru before moving to Chennai for a one-off Test and three T20Is, with all games being played without points.

Harmanpreet, who suggested the system of points would ‘pump up’ players, trains before the match against South Africa. | Photo Credit: Murali Kumar K/The Hindu

India skipper Harmanpreet Kaur said a points-based system to decide a women’s multi-format cricket series winner will pump up motivation levels.

In recent times, India has played multi-format home series against both England and Australia, sans points. This will again be true of the series against South Africa, which begins with the ODIs here on Sunday, before moving to Chennai for the one-off Test and three T20Is.

In contrast, Australia and England play their women’s multi-format Ashes series with points, ensuring that every match carries a certain heft. This is particularly important for Tests, which don’t have a marquee championship like a World Cup to lead into and often suffers with a lack of context.

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India, in fact, handsomely beat both England and Australia in the Tests last December, but lost the white-ball series against both sides. The absence of a points-based system meant that India couldn’t leverage the red-ball wins.

“I think it’s totally a BCCI or ICC thing,” Harmanpreet said on Saturday, ahead of the first ODI against South Africa. “But as players, if points are there, I think we are more pumped up. I think it will be more challenging and we will love to have them.”