Not a bad idea to have Test Championships for women: Amol Muzumdar

As the Indian women's cricket team gears up for their one-off Test against South Africa in Chennai, head coach Amol Muzumdar has voiced support for a potential Women's Test Championship. This comes as the team transitions from recent white-ball successes to the challenges of the longer format.

India enters the Test match riding high on momentum from winning the T20I series in Bangladesh and the ODI series against South Africa at home. The Indian team last played Test cricket in December 2023 against England and Australia at home, and won both the one-off encounters to make history. Muzumdar acknowledged the team's recent successes but emphasised the need for improvement across all departments. 

"We do have the momentum - we won in Bangladesh, we won against South Africa. They are different formats, but at the same time, we are trying to focus on every game as it comes. The demands [of playing a Test] are different. I think the team is up for it and I think as far as improvement is concerned, I think all three departments - batting, bowling, and fielding, and fitness - four departments [can improve]," he said as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.

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We accept it as a challenge to adapt to different formats: Amol Muzumdar

The coach highlighted the importance of adaptability in modern cricket, stating that players are ready to go in the multi-day format. 

He pointed to the Senior Women's Inter-Zonal Multi-day Trophy in March-April as crucial preparation, signaling a commitment to red-ball cricket alongside limited-overs formats. Muzumdar remains confident even with only five days to prepare following the ODI series. 

"In December, we played against England and Australia, we played back-to-back Tests. We are aware that red-ball cricket will be a part of women's cricket going forward and hence I feel that the inter-zonal, which happened in March-April, was very critical. We are also focusing on the red-ball stuff and I think they are aware and they are ready and raring to go in the multi-day format. To adjust to that is a different story," he added.

"Those are the demands of modern-day cricket. You know you cannot escape that as a team. So we try to cater to all the demands. It's not easy, but at the same time it's a challenge and we accept it as a challenge to adapt to different formats," Mazumdar continued.

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The Test squad sees the inclusion of Shubha Satheesh, Sneh Rana, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, and Meghna Singh, who did not feature in the ODIs. Muzumdar assured that the players have undergone specific red-ball preparation at the NCA and are completely fresh and prepared.

"I think those four players are very important players. We did have a camp that happened at the NCA about 15 days back and they were specifically given red-ball stuff to be done in the camp. So they're completely fresh and raring to go. Even when they've come here and [are] in the squad, we just had a practice session yesterday with those four players and they look absolutely fine," the coach said.

Looking at the future, Muzumdar expresses optimism towards a Women's Test Championship, similar to the men's format. 

"It's not a bad idea to have Test Championships. That's something to look forward to, but that is for the board to decide. And if it happens, it's even better for the game. Test cricket is always special. We like to keep it that way, that you know every game is important [regardless of the context], whether it's ODI, T20 or Test match," Muzumdar concluded.