MUMBAI: The day Meg Lanning announced her retirement from international cricket, a lot of things changed. Not just for the Australian women's cricket team, but for every team. With Lanning's goodbye, it felt like Australia's cloud of invincibility got thinner.
Not to say the team lacked any superstars, after all, even in her absence, Australia had drawn the away Ashes and did fairly well in the home series against West Indies. The 'winning' hasn't stopped for the team, but that aura needs rebuilding, otherwise, there are many sides who possess the talent and opportunity to take over this all-conquering armada soon.
One of them is India. Not just because of the ICC schedule that has two upcoming events in the conditions most suitable for them, but also the talent and depth they have. And this seven-match competition, starting with the Test, is a litmus test to see if India can pull it off. To be clear, this is not the multi-format series as the Women's Ashes that was played earlier this year or the one these two sides played in 2021. The white-ball series that will follow this four-day fixture is also not part of the Women's ODI Championship. For that, India will travel to Australia in December 2024. However, this series, given what's to come in the subcontinent in the next few years and the changes around these two teams, feels important.
If Australia is going through a leadership change with less than a year to go for the T20 World Cup in Bangladesh, India is getting to know the ways of their head coach Amol Muzumdar. These two sides are going through a transition phase of their own and with this series, it's the question of how they will make the most of these opportunities going forward. For Alyssa Healy, India have been a happy hunting ground, with her first century as an opener, which started her resurgence as an ODI batter, came in India in 2018.
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The start of her unofficial tenure as a captain of the side was with a 4-1 win against India in December 2022. Even in the Women's Premier League, she found her footing as a leader while captaining UP Warriorz to the eliminator early this year. And for her to start her journey as an official captain of the country in India, fits the bill. "We genuinely love coming to play cricket in India, whether it's for Australia or whether it's for a WPL franchise. It probably makes it even more special to come back here and take over the reins that way. But more importantly, I think the opportunity to play a test match and to walk out there and put our skills to the test in the longest format, it's going to be a really enjoyable experience for us," Healy said.
If Healy has found playing cricket in the Indian conditions rewarding, Harmanpreet Kaur has done the same against Australia in every condition. In the recent past alone, the Indian captain has fought exceptionally well and looked a class apart while facing the World Champions, while many of her teammates have struggled to do the same. On many occasions, it has felt that Kaur's wicket was the only thing standing between a win and a loss for Australia at key fixtures. But slowly things are changing. The influx of talent from the WPL and the domestic system has made India a formidable unit that can take on any challenge. The Indian white-ball side faced similar issues in the three-match series against England, where they could not close the game or let the opposition build partnerships after taking early wickets, but there is a genuine hope with the squad led by Kaur and Muzumdar to change those problems that have plagued this side over the years.
Red-ball fixtures in women's cricket are mostly looked at as one-off fixtures and not much is available to conclude from, other than points at stake, if it is part of the multi-format series. This particular Test match could change that perception. With a win against England, currently considered the second-best side in the women's game after Australia, India is riding the confidence wave. A win against Australia no matter how much their aura of invincibility has thinned, could boost this Indian team like never before.
It is probably easy to dismiss these two Tests in the large scheme of things, given how fast the focus will be shifted towards the white-ball. That Australia making sure their white-ball specialist, Heather Graham, gets enough practice has underlined it. Healy herself mentioned that it is easier to play a Test before getting into the white-ball series. But more than for the history books, a win in this fixture could change how the future looks. Two teams, going through a transition, on different levels, make it up for an unmissable drama. Given the recent history of these two sides, the contest has come to the right point for both of them.
The competition for supremacy over each other is afoot. For the first time in many years, heading into a lengthy series, there is no clear favorite among these two sides. This situation might not last forever, given how eager these two sides are to prove what they can do. Let's just hope, cricket is the real winner in all of this.
