3 min readFeb 14, 2026 02:38 PM IST
India captain Harmanpreet Kaur has reiterated her desire to see more Test cricket in the women’s game, saying the longer format offers a unique challenge that players are eager to embrace.
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“It’s good to see that everybody is in good touch, because we all know before the (upcoming) T20 World Cup, every series is very important for us. Multi-format series are always very exciting.”
“We’re really looking forward for that because playing T20 and ODI is always great, but Tests are something we always want to play, and a pink-ball Test match is always going to be very exciting. It gives you a different kind of challenge, and as cricketers we want that opportunity more often,” Harmanpreet said ahead of India’s multi-format tour of Australia, which includes a one-off Test.
Her comments come at a time when India’s women’s team are riding unprecedented momentum. They whitewashed Sri Lanka 5-0 in a T20I series at home at the end of 2025, which was preceded by the historic ODI World Cup triumph – a campaign that included a landmark semi-final win over Australia – and arrive in Sydney with belief at an all-time high.
That victory over the tournament favourites was widely viewed as a psychological breakthrough for India, a team that had often found Australia an insurmountable hurdle on the biggest stages. Now, with the World Cup secured and confidence flowing, Harmanpreet insists the team are focused on sustaining success rather than resting on achievement.
“We are really working hard to achieve all our targets,” she said. “Winning the World Cup was one of them, so we are on the right track. Whenever you go with a great mindset and a positive approach, you can always bring your best.”
Australia, however, remains the benchmark in women’s cricket despite the semi-final exit at the World Cup. Under Sophie Molineux’s leadership in the T20 format, the hosts are intent on regaining control at home.
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“It’s a massive tour,” Molineux said ahead of the series opener at the SCG. “India is coming out here with a lot of confidence, and we know they’re going to throw challenges at us throughout the series.”
Molineux acknowledged that the semi-final defeat to India at the 2025 ODI World Cup had been difficult to digest but said the group had reflected and moved forward with clarity.
“There’s definitely some learnings to have been had from those (losses) … but we’re in a really lucky and fortunate (place), we’ve got generational talent at both ends of their careers in Phoebe Lichfield and Annabel Sutherland, then Ellyse Perry and Megan Schutt as well at the other end and everything in between. It’s about bringing that all together and fine-tuning the way we want to play,” she said.
For Australia, the series is about reasserting its long-standing dominance. For India, it is about proving that their World Cup success was not a one-off but the beginning of a sustained era.
