India’s young batter Pratika Rawal reflected on her memorable Test debut after scoring a resilient 63 in the second innings against Australia in the one-off Test at the WACA Stadium in Perth on Sunday, saying she deliberately avoided thinking about the pressure of playing her first match in the longest format.
Blame it on the inclement weather, poor drainage facilities, shortage of ground staff and an ill-equipped Greater Noida stadium, the first ever Test match between Afghanistan and New Zealand was expectedly abandoned without a ball being bowled.
Afghanistan's one-off Test against New Zealand could witness a total abandonment without a ball being bowled as play was called off for the fourth consecutive day due to rain in Greater Noida on Thursday.
The New Zealand team will have a great opportunity to acclimatise in sub-continent conditions ahead of the gruelling three-Test series against India in October as the BlackCaps are set to play Afghanistan in an one-off Test match in Greater Noida in September.
Sune Luus and Marizanne Kapp began the repair work for the Proteas with a 93-run stand for the third wicket after the Proteas were 96 for 2 at one stage. Both Sune and Marizanne displayed commendable resilience and technique during their half century knocks.
Star all-rounder Deepti Sharma (60 not out) and wicketkeeper Yasthika Bhatia (66) also came up with fifty-plus scores even as skipper Harmanpreet Kaur fell one shy of a half century to put India on the driver’s seat at the end of the first day’s play.
There has been doubt around the historic Test after the CA declared that they would not support the Taliban government's hard stance against the inclusion of women in sports.
