Points system crucial for Test cricket relevance: Healy

Alyssa Healy says she is a 'little surprised' the multi-format tour of India will not employ a points system and have an overall winner, but the Australian captain is nonetheless eager for her team's ultimate test in Indian conditions.

The match at Wankhede starting Thursday will be Australia's first Test match in India since 1984.

It is also the first of seven matches to be played between the fierce rivals over the next month, with three ODIs – also at Wankhede – and three T20Is at DY Patil Stadium to follow.

But unlike India's all-format tour of Australia in 2021, this will not be a points-based contest and there will be no overall winner at the end of the seven games.

Australia had brought the 'India-Australia series trophy' – the piece of silverware forged for the 2021 tour – with them to Mumbai.

The Aussies claimed the trophy 11 points to five in what was the first multi-format series between the nations in 2021, and Healy was among players at the time who expressed a desire to see it become the perpetual prize for multi-format series between the rivals, held in the same regard as the Border-Gavaskar trophy for men's Test series.

But it has been confirmed by the BCCI that for this tour, each format will be treated in isolation.

"Yes or no," Healy told reporters on Wednesday when asked if she was disappointed. "I think I can see value and merit in making them all separate and sort of rewarding the wins as you go.

"I can see the merit in that.

"But on the flip side of that, we've been a part of a few multi-format series where the points system has come into play and it's given the Test match in particular a greater context, in my mind.

"And this might be a little bit cheeky, I would have thought that India would have backed themselves in their home conditions and got off to a four-nil start, so it does surprise me a little bit.

"But at the same time, it'll be cool to just battle it out for three separate trophies."

The use of points systems aside, Healy said multi-format series were crucial to women being able to play the longest form of the game at international level.

The 33-year-old admitted she would have relished the chance to play two or three Tests on this tour, to give her team time to learn and adapt to what are expected to be challenging conditions.

However, an increasingly busy international calendar means one-off red-ball games incorporated with white-ball games remain the best chance for more nations to become involved.

England captain Heather Knight shared similar sentiments after her team was thrashed by 347 runs in their own one-off Test against India last week.

"The ability to adapt and adjust to conditions over time I think is really important throughout a series and for us to get a one-off Test match – and you look at the English result as well – it's really hard to take," Healy told reporters on Wednesday.

"It's kind of one where you can throw it away and say it was really hard and the conditions were difficult, but you didn't get the chance to adjust for the next Test match and build into the series.

"I'd love to see more (Tests) played but I think the reality of that is it won't happen.

"At the same time, I think if more and more nations around the world are interested in playing the multi-format series, I think it's a great way to get Test cricket back relevant in our game."

Australia's next assignment after their tour of India is a home series against South Africa which will also comprise a Test – the first ever between the nations – alongside three ODIs and three T20Is.

A points system is expected to be used for that tour.

Healy has been given the all-clear for the Test after she missed almost the entire Weber WBBL|09 season due to a severe laceration to her index finger suffered while trying to break up a fight between her two dogs.

She will take the gloves, and confirmed she will remain in the middle-order, having dropped down from her previous role as opener for the Ashes Test in Nottingham in June.

Phoebe Litchfield and Beth Mooney will open the batting, and Healy is expected to come out at No.5, as she did in a red-ball warm-up game against Mumbai on Sunday. 

"The challenge of facing a lot of spin through the middle will be a really good one," Healy said.

"I'm not too worried about it.

"I think I've got the ability and I've played long enough to be able to adapt to that and just play the role that the team needs."

Healy did not catch a cricket ball between sustaining her freak injury and departing for India.

But the Australian captain has been put through her paces with daily wicketkeeping drills during training sessions at Wankhede Stadium and said she felt prepared.

The right-hander looked immediately at home with the bat during Australia's practice match, hitting a quickfire half-century before retiring.

"I've been really impressed with how it's come back and how it's handled everything over here," Healy said.

"I've got complete confidence in it again, so I'm looking forward to getting back into a game of cricket."

Australia's CommBank Tour of India

December 21-24: Test match, Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai

December 28: First ODI, Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai

December 30: Second ODI, Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai

January 2: Third ODI, Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai

January 5: First T20I, DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai

January 7: Second T20I, DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai

January 9: Third T20I, DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai

Australia squad: Alyssa Healy (c), Tahlia McGrath (vc), Darcie Brown, Lauren Cheatle (Test only), Heather Graham, Ashleigh Gardner, Kim Garth, Grace Harris (T20s only), Jess Jonassen, Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Wareham

India Test squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Smriti Mandhana (vc), Jemimah Rodrigues, Shafali Verma, Deepti Sharma, Yastika Bhatia (wk), Richa Ghosh (wk), Sneh Rana, Shubha Satheesh, Harleen Deol, Saika Ishaque, Renuka Singh Thakur, Titas Sadhu, Meghna Singh, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Pooja Vastrakar