Raj lauds fast-bowling attack as India eye Test boilover

A confident India will be utilising what captain Mithali Raj believes is perhaps their best-ever fast-bowling attack to again get the better of favourites Australia in the one-off Test on the Gold Coast from Thursday.

After crashing the hosts' party in Mackay on Sunday to bring the curtain down on a 26-match ODI winning streak, India now have the chance to create a boil-over at Metricon Stadium, with a green pitch, a pink ball under lights, and an attack that looks well suited to making the most of that combination.

However, the tourists will go into the match without star Harmanpreet Kaur, Raj confirmed on the eve of the match. The experienced allrounder missed all three ODIs due to a thumb complaint.  

"They should be one of the best fast-bowling attacks that the Indian team has (had)," Raj said on the eve of the first women's Test between these two countries in 15 years.

"Of course with the huge experience that Jhulan (Goswami) has, and the way she's been performing for the Indian team, and a young speedster like Meghna Singh who has come in for her first series, she's been very impressive.

"And Pooja Vastrakar, who's made a comeback after two years, we're trying to shape her into an allrounder.

"These girls have been working very hard on their skills, I'm quite happy to see that, and the results are there to see for the team and for everybody."

While Goswami bowled splendidly again in last Sunday's third ODI in taking 3-37 from 10 overs, including a double-wicket maiden, it was her performance – and that of her pace-bowling teammates Singh and Vastrakar – two days earlier that really turned heads.

As night settled upon the Great Barrier Reef Arena, the floodlights took hold and the dew began to settle, India's three quicks took control, finding movement through the air and off the pitch and exploiting it beautifully.

By the 16th over, Australia were 4-56, and the quality of batters back in the pavilion – Alyssa Healy, Meg Lanning, Ellyse Perry and Ashleigh Gardner – told its own tale.

"The ball was nipping and swinging, (and) especially in that first 15 overs we looked really good as a pace-bowling unit," said star batter Smriti Mandhana post-match. "They'll definitely be looking forward to playing with the pink ball."

Allrounder Tahlia McGrath, who helped rescue Australia that night with a fine 74 and who had earlier taken 3-45 during the daylight hours, noticed the shift.

"It definitely changed when the lights came on," McGrath said. "There was a bit of dew out there (which) sped up the wicket a bit, and swing came into the game.

"So it's definitely exciting with the day-night Test around the corner, and there's a few things to think about with that."

Australia coach Matthew Mott was yesterday enthused by the greenness of the Metricon Stadium pitch two days out from day one of the four-day Test.

Today, while less dramatic, the green tinge remained, and Australia skipper Meg Lanning confirmed that such a strip would likely bring another pace-bowling allrounder into the reckoning as a replacement for the injured Rachael Haynes.

"There's a green tinge there so that potentially brings some of our pace-bowling allrounders into the frame," Lanning said. "So we just need to decide if we want to go with that specific batter position, or with the allrounder."

Regardless of the make-up of the Australia side, at least four players will be handed their first Baggy Green caps tomorrow, with only seven players in the squad having played Test cricket.

CommBank Series v India

Australia lead India 4-2 on points

Australia squad: Meg Lanning (c), Darcie Brown, Maitlan Brown, Stella Campbell, Nicola Carey, Hannah Darlington, Ashleigh Gardner, Alyssa Healy, Tahlia McGrath, Sophie Molineux, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Georgia Redmayne, Molly Strano, Annabel Sutherland, Tayla Vlaeminck, Georgia Wareham

India Test and ODI squad: Mithali Raj (c), Harmanpreet Kaur (vc), Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Punam Raut, Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma, Sneh Rana, Yastika Bhatia, Taniya Bhatia (wk), Shikha Pandey, Jhulan Goswami, Meghna Singh, Pooja Vastrakar, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Poonam Yadav, Richa Ghosh, Ekta Bisht

India T20I squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Smriti Mandhana (vc), Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma, Sneh Rana, Yastika Bhatia, Shikha Pandey, Meghna Singh, Pooja Vastrakar, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Poonam Yadav, Richa Ghosh (wk), Harleen Deol, Arundhati Reddy, Radha Yadav, Renuka Singh

First ODI:Australia won by nine wickets

Sep 24: Australia won by five wickets

Sep 26: India won by two wickets

Sep 30 – Oct 3: Test match, Metricon Stadium, Gold Coast (D/N)

Oct 7: First T20, Metricon Stadium, Gold Coast

Oct 9: Second T20, Metricon Stadium, Gold Coast

Oct 10: Third T20, Metricon Stadium, Gold Coast