London, July 10 (IANS) England have won the toss and elected to bowl first against India in the historic one-off debut Test at the Lord’s Cricket Ground on Friday. The match is also the first-ever women’s Test to be played at the iconic venue.

After winning the toss, England captain Nat Sciver-Brunt said batting all-rounder Alice Capsey and off-spinner Mady Villiers have been handed their debut caps. The match is also the final international game of opener Tammy Beaumont.

“The most we can get out of the wicket as bowlers will be now. We are looking forward to getting out there as a team. We are stood here on such a special occasion. We are the custodians of our team and have had that passed on from amazing people in the past,” she said.

India skipper Harmanpreet Kaur said left-arm spinner N Sree Charani has been handed a Test debut, while Yastika Bhatia will slot at number three after Pratika Rawal was ruled due to a laceration on her right knee.

“This is a great opportunity for us to put runs on the board, so let’s see how it goes. It is a big achievement for us playing at Lord’s and we are very excited about it. Going with two pacers and three spinners,” she said.

In the pitch report, Simon Doull said a healthy 7mm grass covering is there with a slightly spongy feel, and will provide assistance for the seamers early on. “There is a tufty covering of grass so I think it will offer a bit of seam and the great Shane Warne said if it seams, it spins. I think the ball will slide on at medium pace – it won’t be overly quick. Bowlers probably have to be a bit fuller at Lord’s,” he said.

Playing XIs:

India: Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Yastika Bhatia, Harmanpreet Kaur (captain), Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh (wicket-keeper), Deepti Sharma, Sayali Satghare, Sneh Rana, N Sree Charani, and Kranti Gaud.

England: Tammy Beaumont, Maia Bouchier, Heather Knight, Nat Sciver-Brunt (captain), Alice Capsey, Amy Jones (wicket-keeper), Mady Villiers, Sophie Ecclestone, Issy Wong, Lauren Bell, and Lauren Filer

–IANS

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