Mithali Raj hopes Tests against England, Australia will shape future women's Test Championship

India Women captain Mithali Raj has expressed hope that the one-off Test match against England Women is ‘just the beginning’ and that it would start a new chapter in the women’s game that would lead to a World Test Championship on the line of Men’s game.

"It's good to have the Test match in a series. We had the one-dayers and the T20Is. Maybe in the coming years it might also lead to a World Test Championship. You never know. This is just the beginning. I hope we continue to have bilateral series where all three formats are there,” Mithali Raj said on the eve of India Women’s first Test in seven years.

She elaborated that the Test match against England women and also their first day-night Test against Australia Women later this year would also lead to starting of bilateral series between two sides comprising of all-format games.

“I feel this Test match and even the pink-ball Test, which is in Australia in the coming months, it's just the beginning of having a three-format bilateral series. It probably opens up the channel to have another format added in a bilateral series and that will clearly help the overall standard of women's cricket” Mithali added.

She advocated the inclusion of all forms of the game in bilateral series but reiterated that even ‘modern-day’ players want to prove their mettle in the longer format f the game as they know it will test all aspects of their game.

"Also, the players - I mean, you ask any modern-day cricketer, they still want to play the longer format because they eventually know that the format tests the skill of a player,” Mithali concluded.

India Women will take on England Women in the only Test of the tour starting tomorrow June 16 in Bristol.